India begin the defence of their SAFF Championship title against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday (November 5) at 3 pm IST, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said. The two sides are in Group B with the Maldives; hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan make up Group A.
Pakistan's squad
Pakistan have named 28 players, including England-born forward Mckeal Aroon Abdullah, a 21-year-old from Nottingham who plays for lower-division club Ilkeston Town and has six caps, Sportstar reported.
- Goalkeepers: Saqib Hanif, Hassan Ali, Yousuf Ijaz Butt
- Defenders: Abdul Rehman, Abdullah Iqbal, Ali Khan Niazi, Easah Suliman, Haris Ali Zeb, Haseeb Ahmed Khan, Mamoon Moosa Khan, Mohib Ullah, Waqar Ehtisham
- Midfielders: Adil Nabi, Ali Akbar Khan, Ali Uzair Mahmood, Junaid Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Junaid, M. Hayyaan Khattak, Syed Ali Raza, Tufail Khan, Zainul Abideen Ishaque
- Forwards: Abdul Samad Shahzad, Alamgir Ali Khan Ghazi, Kaleemullah Khan, Mckeal Aroon Abdullah, Najeeb Ullah, Shayak Dost, Umar Nawaz
India's side
India's 28-member squad is coached by Naushad Moosa, head coach of the India U23 team, with Bibiano Fernandes as assistant, the AIFF said. It includes Liston Colaco, Brison Fernandes, Farukh Choudhary, Noufal PN, Irfan Yadwad and Vishnu PV. Eighteen players were due to travel to Dhaka from Kolkata on November 3, with the other ten joining over the following days.
What next
After Pakistan, India play the Maldives on November 11. The top two in each group reach the semi-finals on November 14, and the final is on November 17. India won the last edition in 2023, beating Kuwait in the final in Bengaluru, and are chasing a record-extending 10th title, the AIFF said.