New Delhi, April 22 (IANS) Hosts India have been clubbed with Bangladesh and Maldives in Group B of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026, following the official draw conducted at the SAFF Secretariat in Dhaka.

The regional showpiece is scheduled to be held from May 25 to June 6 in Margao, with all matches to be played at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Group A features Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, with the top two sides from each group progressing to the semi-finals.

This edition marks only the second time that India will host the SAFF Women’s Championship, having previously staged it in 2016 in Siliguri, where the hosts lifted the trophy. It will also be a return of SAFF action to Goa, which earlier hosted the men’s championship in 1999 at the same venue.

The draw was conducted based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings released on April 21, with India (69th) and Nepal (87th) placed in Pot 1. Bangladesh (112th) and Sri Lanka (162nd) were in Pot 2, while Bhutan (164th) and the Maldives (167th) completed Pot 3.

India enter the tournament as the most successful side in its history, having clinched five titles — in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019. However, Bangladesh will arrive as the defending champions, having secured back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2024.

The Blue Tigresses will also take confidence from recent success at the youth level. Earlier this year, India’s U17 side, competing in the U19 category, defeated Bangladesh 4-0 in the final of the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship in Pokhara, underlining the growing depth in the country’s women’s football pipeline.

Last week, the Indian women’s national team secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Malawi in the third-place play-off of the FIFA Series 2026 at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

With a competitive field and home advantage, India will look to reclaim the continental crown when the tournament kicks off in Goa later next month.

–IANS

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