India U-20 vs Pakistan U-20 Live: Watch SAFF U20 Championship 2026 match LIVE

The 2026 SAFF U-20 Championship is poised to host its first major rivalry clash when India U-20 face off against Pakistan U-20 in what should be a thrilling clash on Thursday, 26 March (2026) at the National Football Stadium, Male.

The Blue Colts look to start their campaign with a commanding win over their under-pressure rivals, who aim to pose a surprise to keep their hopes of making the knockout rounds alive.

The Stakes

India U-20

The India U-20 side will be embarking on a new era under the coaching of Mahesh Gawali, who was appointed as the head coach just before the SAFF U-20 Championship. Gawali has some decent coaching experience behind him, with this being a major challenge for him to prove his quality.

After losing in the 2025 SAFF U-20 Championship final last year, India will be looking for a stronger showing this year.

That includes producing a dominating performance against Pakistan, as Gawali will urge the players to be quick and efficient in the attack as well as defensively strong.

A thrilling win for India will definitely bolster the self-belief and confidence levels of the players to dominate in the competition. However, being held to a draw or losing to rivals Pakistan could be a huge set-back that can pose questions to be raised all over.

Pakistan U-20

Pakistan U-20 are participating in the 2026 SAFF U20 Championship for the first time since finishing as runners-up in the 2023 edition. They have had a pretty poor start to the 2026 edition, having suffered a crushing 2-0 defeat to defending champions Bangladesh U-20 in their opening group game.

That means the pressure is on Pakistan to come up with a reply against India and they desperately need to win this match to have any chance of making it past the group stages.

Shahzad Anwar will look to motivate his players to produce their absolute best in this rivalry clash to take the clash against India U-20 and also be defensively strongly.

A surprise win for Pakistan U-20 could be a huge momentum booster and strengthen their chances of getting past the group stages, but a loss would be a dismal way of exiting the tournament.

Team News

Mahesh Gawali has selected a strong squad for the SAFF U-20 Championship, in terms of the players available to him.

Pakistan U-20 should have the same squad available from their previous game against Bangladesh U-20.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 11

India U-20 wins – 8

Pakistan U-20 wins – 3

Draws – 0

Predicted Lineups

India U-20 (4-2-3-1):

Suraj Singh (GK), Jodric Abranches, Malemnganba Singh, Yaipharemba Chingakam, Roshan Singh, Gurnaj Singh, Md Arbash, Danny Meitei, Rohen Singh, Omang Dodum, Prashant Jojo

Pakistan U-20 (4-2-3-1):

Kashif (GK), Majid Ali, Abdul Rehman, Shehraz Khalid, Zarib Haider, Zain Imran, Owais Ilyas, Muhammad Junaid, Sajjad Hussain, Muhammad Abdullah, Abdul Samad

Did you know?

• India U-20 have won 19 of their 28 matches in the SAFF U-20 Championship over the years.
• Pakistan U-20 earned the silver medal in their only participation in the SAFF U-20 Championship, back in 2023.
• India U-20 have won the SAFF U-20 Championship title four times in the past.

Broadcast Details

The match between India U-20 and Pakistan U-20 will take place on Thursday, 26 March at the National Stadium, Male. The match will kick off at 4:15 PM IST. The match will be streamed live on the SportzWorkz YouTube channel.

For fans outside India, you can also follow the Live Watch Along on Khel Now TV with real-time reactions, updates and analysis!

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