India's full schedule for SAFF U17 Championship 2025 confirmed

The Blue Colts are the SAFF U17 defending champions!

The 2025 U17 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship is set to take place in Sri Lanka, with the India U-17 side aiming to win the tournament for the fourth straight year. It’s been confirmed that seven different national teams will be playing in the upcoming SAFF U17 championship, which will span over the course of 13 days and there will be nine matches that take place.

Because there are only seven teams participating in the tournament, there will be a bit of a tweak to how the group stages operate. India have been placed in the same group as Maldives, Bhutan and Pakistan, meaning they will be playing three games in the initial stages. All the matches at the 2025 SAFF U17 championship will happen at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo.

When are India’s matches at the 2025 U17 SAFF Championship?

However, hosts Sri Lanka will be facing only two opponents in the group stages in Bangladesh and Nepal. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, after which it’s a knockout-based system.

The Indian U-17 side will be facing off against Maldives, Bhutan and Pakistan in their group stage matches. Their opening game of the group stages is going to be on 16 September, when they’ll face off against the Maldives.

After that, the Blue Colts will be facing off against Bhutan on 19 September before their final group game, which will arguably be the biggest one against rivals Pakistan on 22 September.

India’s group matches in 2025 SAFF U17 championship

India vs Maldives – 16 September – 15:00 PM IST

Bhutan vs India – 19 September – 19:30 PM IST

India vs Pakistan – 22 September – 15:00 PM IST

When are the knockout stages of the 2025 SAFF U17 championship?

The 2025 SAFF U17 championship will kick off on 15 September, when hosts Sri Lanka face off against Nepal. Both the semifinals of the 2025 U17 SAFF Championship will take place on 25 September, before the final takes place on 27 September.

If India U17 are able to top their group, they will be facing the runners-up of Group A. If the Blue Colts finish as their group runners-up, they’ll face the group winners of Group A in the semifinal.

India have won the U17 SAFF Championship for the last three consecutive years. They defeated Bangladesh in the final of the 2024 edition to clinch the title in Thimphu, Bhutan. India U17 have also won this tournament a total of six times, the most for any U17 side to have ever participated at the U17 SAFF Championship.

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