SAFF Championship opens at Dhaka's National Stadium with India-Pakistan match, both starting XIs announced

The SAFF Championship opened at the National Stadium in Dhaka with the India-Pakistan match, one of South Asian football's most attractive rivalries. The two arch-rivals meet on Thursday (5 November) in the group stage of the Techno SAFF Championship Bangladesh 2026. Both teams have already announced their starting line-ups.

With the two arch-rivals facing each other in the very first group match, both teams' aim will be to start the tournament with a win. Both are in Group B; the other team in the group is the Maldives.

Pakistan's starting eleven has Yusuf Ijaz Butt as goalkeeper. The rest of the eleven are Mohib Ullah, Mohammad Hayan Khattak, Alamgir Ali Khan Ghazi, Shayaq Dost, Abdul Rahman, Syed Ali Raza, Ali Uzair Mahmood, Haris Ali Zeb, Waqar Ehtisham and Hasib Ahmed Khan.

India's goal will be guarded by Arsh Anwar Sheikh. The rest of India's eleven are Vijay Vargis, Abhishek Dhananjay Suryavanshi, Muhammad Uvais Moyikkal, Suhail Ahmed Bhat, Muhammad Suhail, Ricky John Shabong, Manglenthang Kipgen, N Puthenvittil Noushad, N N Jayanth Prabhu and Hmingthanmawia.