SAFF Championship 2023: Pakistan receive NOC to participate

The country is making a comeback at the tournament after five years.

The 2023 SAFF Championship is right around the corner and the excitement is building up. In a piece of brilliant news for football fans in Pakistan, the Ministry of Interior has issued a NOC to the football federation of the country, allowing their men’s national football team to participate in the SAFF Championship, which is to be held in India this month. 

India will play as hosts for the 2023 SAFF Championships as the games are set to take place at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore from 21 June to 4 July 2023. Therefore, the arrival of Pakistani footballers on Indian shores is creating a huge hype.

Pakistan men’s national football is one of the eight teams participating. They are making a comeback at the tournament after five years. The national team last participated in the 2018 edition of the tournament but could not do so in 2021 due to internal strife. 

Getting the NOC

There were rumours that the government of Pakistan was not in agreement with the country’s football team coming to India due to the troublesome history between the nations. However, the issuing of the NOC by the Ministry of Interior makes it possible for the men’s football team to travel and compete in Bengaluru, India. 

Pakistan is in Group A alongside India, Kuwait and Nepal. They play their first game of the tournament against India on 21 June 2023 which is set to attract a huge crowd inside the stadium and on digital platforms that stream the game live. There is a lot of excitement amongst the fans of both countries who cannot wait to see the players from the respective national teams battle it out on the football pitch. 

The top two teams from Group A and B will qualify for the knockout stage and get closer to lifting the trophy. India are favourites to qualify as one of the two teams from Group A but Pakistan may cause an upset as they will take to the pitch in order to make a statement.