Margao (Goa), May 30 (IANS) Though both sides are assured of their places in the knock-out stage, there will be no shortage of intensity when hosts India face Bangladesh in their last Group B match of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Sunday.

With the Maldives, the third side in the group, losing both of its matches and crashing out of the tournament, India and Bangladesh have already qualified for the last four. Sunday’s clash will therefore determine the Group B winners and could provide a significant psychological edge heading into the knockout rounds.

India sit atop the group after an emphatic 11-0 victory over Maldives on Monday, while Bangladesh opened their campaign with a 4-2 win over the same opponents on Thursday. The hosts’ superior goal difference means a draw would be enough to ensure they finish first in the group and set up a semifinal meeting with Group A runners-up, who will be determined after Nepal’s result against Sri Lanka in the earlier kick-off on Sunday. Should Nepal avoid defeat, they will end up topping Group A and face the runners-up of Group B.

In the Blue Tigresses’ opening game, Aveka Singh stole the spotlight with four goals and two assists, while Priyangka Devi Naorem celebrated her return to the national team after an ACL injury with a brace. Karishma Shirvoikar added two goals too, while Grace Dangmei, Pyari Xaxa, and Sangita Basfore found the net once each.

Despite the lopsided scoreline, India head coach Crispin Chettri believes there is still room for improvement.

“A win is a win whether it’s 11-0 or 1-0, but how we execute certain plans is more important, which we did against Maldives on patches only. Yes, definitely, we had time to do some tactical work and fine-tune our mistakes,” said Chettri.

The five-day gap since the first match has also allowed India valuable time to recover and prepare following a demanding Indian Women’s League season.

“It’s always good to have more time to prepare for the next match. Especially for us after a hectic schedule in the IWL, these three days were proper training sessions to prepare for some tactical work, maintain fitness, and keep players fresh,” he added.

Historically, India have enjoyed the upper hand in this rivalry. Ranked 69th in the FIFA rankings compared to Bangladesh’s 112th, India have won nine of the 12 meetings between the two sides, drawing one and losing two. However, both those losses came in the last two SAFF Women’s Championships in 2022 and 2024.

Those defeats remain fresh memories for many within the Indian camp, but Chettri insists the focus remains firmly on the immediate task.

“We are at that stage where we are focusing on one match at a time, so the focus is more on tomorrow’s match,” he said. “I feel the players know the importance of not only tomorrow’s match but the whole tournament. It’s all about keeping them fresh, motivated, and demanding more.”

With India seeking to reclaim the title they last won in 2019 and Bangladesh eager to reinforce their status as South Asia’s leading force, Sunday’s encounter promises to be one of the standout matches of the championship.

–IANS

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