The Indian men’s football team is gearing up to defend their title at the 2023 South Asian Football Federation Championship (SAFF) with an electrifying opening match against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM, the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan football match promises to be a thrilling showdown. Prior to this clash, Kuwait will take on Nepal in the tournament opener earlier in the day. Football enthusiasts across India can catch all the action of the SAFF Championship 2023 matches through live streaming.
The 14th edition of the SAFF Championship will feature eight teams vying for the coveted title. Alongside India and Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, and Bangladesh will compete in the tournament.
Lebanon and Kuwait, as members of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), have joined the competition as guest teams. All matches of the SAFF Championship 2023 will be hosted at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, with a total of 15 matches to be played throughout the tournament.
The teams have been divided into two groups. Group A consists of India, Kuwait, Nepal, and Pakistan, with India, led by the legendary Sunil Chhetri, currently ranked 101st in the FIFA rankings and serving as the top-ranked team in the group. Kuwait follows as the 143rd-ranked team, and Nepal, the runners-up from the previous edition in 2021, holds the 174th position. Pakistan enters the tournament ranked 195th.
The group stage will follow a single round-robin format, where each team will face all the others in their respective group. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, which are scheduled to take place on July 1. The final match, which will determine the SAFF Championship 2023 winner, is set to be held on July 4.
India has a remarkable track record in the SAFF Championship, having emerged as champions on eight occasions, making them the most successful team in the tournament’s history. The Maldives has claimed the title twice, while Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka have each secured victory once. However, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will not be participating in this year’s edition.
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