Maldives has been placed in the same group as India and Pakistan in the SAFF Championship to be held in November.
In the tournament taking place from November 4-17 in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, out of SAFF's seven countries, the only nation whose participation in the tournament is unconfirmed is Nepal. Following the suspension of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) by that country's government, FIFA has suspended the country from all football activities.
Until the government backs down and permission to proceed with ANFA's elections is received, Nepal will remain under FIFA's suspension. A deadline was given to Nepal during the draw ceremony conducted at the SAFF Congress held today in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.
Times of India stated that SAFF has decided that if Nepal is not removed from suspension by the first of next month, that country will not receive an opportunity in the SAFF tournament. If Nepal's suspension is lifted prior to that date, the country will be granted the opportunity to compete in the tournament.
If Nepal receives the opportunity to compete in the tournament, that country will compete in Group A. The other nations in that group are host country Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
In Maldives' first match, they will step out against champion India on November 11.
Maldives has been placed in a relatively difficult group. India is always a team that is difficult for Maldives to defeat. Since Maldives won the SAFF Championship held in Bangladesh in 2018 after defeating India's Under-23 team, Maldives has not been able to win a single match against any Indian team.
Pakistan is also currently recognized as a strong team. By including players of Pakistani heritage living in European countries in the national team, Pakistan has also assembled a strong national team.
Pakistan won the championship of the Diamond Jubilee International Tournament held in Male' in June after defeating Afghanistan in the final.
Pakistan also prevailed over Maldives in the round-robin stage of that tournament. That was the first victory achieved by Pakistan over Maldives in 35 years.
Pakistan and India are also competing in the newly introduced FIFA ASEAN Cup specifically for East Asian countries. That tournament will proceed next month. The SAFF Championship, which was previously scheduled to be held next month, was postponed to November because India was set to compete in that tournament. Later, Pakistan also secured the opportunity to participate in that tournament.
All matches of the SAFF Championship will be played at Dhaka's National Stadium, the former Bangabandhu Stadium.
