SAFF Championship 2026: Maldives fixtures and guide
Maldives play Pakistan on 8 November and India on 11 November in Dhaka, where they won their second SAFF title in 2018. Here is how the tournament works.
The Maldives national team begin their TECNO SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026 campaign against Pakistan on 8 November, before facing defending champions India on 11 November. All matches are at the National Stadium in Dhaka.
The tournament runs from 5 to 17 November, according to the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
How it works
Six teams are split into two groups of three.
Each team plays the other two teams in its group once.
The top two in each group reach the semi-finals on 14 November.
The final is on 17 November.
The groups
Group A: Bangladesh (hosts), Sri Lanka, Bhutan
Group B: India, Maldives, Pakistan
Maldives fixtures (Maldives time)
Sunday 8 November, 14:30: Maldives v Pakistan
Wednesday 11 November, 14:30: India v Maldives
Full schedule (Maldives time)
5 November: Pakistan v India (14:30), Bhutan v Bangladesh (19:00)
8 November: Maldives v Pakistan (14:30), Sri Lanka v Bhutan (19:00)
11 November: India v Maldives (14:30), Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (19:00)
14 November, semi-finals: Group B winner v Group A runner-up (14:00), Group A winner v Group B runner-up (19:30)
17 November, final (19:00)
Dhaka is one hour ahead of the Maldives. SAFF has said the schedule may still change.
Maldives at the SAFF Championship
The Maldives have won the championship twice. They beat India 1–0 in the 2008 final, and beat India again, 2–1, in the 2018 final in Dhaka, the city hosting this year's tournament.
The Maldives were also runners-up in 1997, 2003 and 2009. India have won the title nine times, more than any other team, and are the defending champions after winning in 2023.
