The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has decided to host this year's SAFF Championship in India.
The tournament will be held in India from June 20 to July 3. The Football Federation of India said the city to host the tournament would be determined next month.
Sri Lanka also expressed interest in hosting this year's tournament. However, FIFA suspended the Sri Lankan football federation last month for political interference. Sri Lanka will be able to compete in the tournament if FIFA lifts the suspension.
Since the tournament is being held in India, Pakistan's participation is questionable. Pakistan did not participate in the tournament the last time the SAFF championship was held in India due to the political tension between the two countries. The SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Pakistan that year was also cancelled due to India's boycott. However, since 2021, the national teams of the two countries have begun participating in sporting events held in both countries.
Pakistan did not participate in the October 2021 SAFF Championship held in Sri Lanka due to FIFA's suspension. Bhutan did not compete in the tournament as well due to the country's travel restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pakistan and Bhutan are expected to participate in the SAFF Championship this year. India is the reigning champion of the tournament after beating Nepal in the final last year.
India had earlier announced that this tournament would be fielded by the country's Under-23 team, which had played twice in the past. Both times, they faced Sri Lanka in the final. The Maldives lost to India in the 2009 SAFF Championship final held in Bangladesh. Maldives had defeated India in the final of the 2018 tournament also held in Bangladesh.
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