SAFF Women's Championship 2026 India Rival Watch: Maldives & Bangladesh

India will kick off their SAFF Women’s Championship 2026 against Maldives

The Indian women’s football team will be aiming to reclaim the SAFF Women’s Championship title as they host the tournament in Margao, Goa from May 25 (2026). Having last won the championship way back in 2019, the Blue Tigresses will be desperate to win the championship for the sixth time in their history in front of their fans.

The format of the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship sees two groups created containing three teams each. The top two teams of each group will move on to the semi-finals before the winners of those ties end up playing in the final.

For India, the goal will be to win every single match, as they are still aiming to make a statement after a poor showing at the 2026 AFC Women’s Cup earlier this year.

Crispin Chettri’s side has been placed in a relatively competitive group, despite being among the favorites to win the tournament. They will be facing off against the defending champions, Bangladesh, in the group and fight for a top-place finish with them.

The third team in their group are Maldives, who are also the lowest-ranked side in the tournament and participating in a SAFF Women’s Championship for the eighth time in their history.

Here, we look at what to expect from India’s group stage opponents at the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship.

Bangladesh Women’s Football Team

Bangladesh have won the last two editions of the SAFF Women’s Championship, being able to win two of the three finals in which they’ve been a part of in the tournament. Currently ranked in 112nd place in the FIFA Women’s Rankings, the third highest for all teams at the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship, the Bangladesh women’s side are still among the favorites to lift the title.

They have had a bit of a troublesome form in 2026, having won just one of their six matches so far. They did participate in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup but ended up losing all three matches in the group stages and conceded 11 goals – without being able to score a single goal. Their only win in 2026, actually, is a 2-0 win over Thailand club Kasem Bundit in an unofficial friendly game recently.

Despite their shaky recent form, Bangladesh will be looking to reignite their spirits in the SAFF Women’s Championship – a tournament they’ve dominated in the last four years.

They defeated India in the group stages of the 2024 edition and are aiming to do the same this time to win the title on Indian soil.

Players to Watchout

Ritu Porna Chakma

Despite only being 22, Ritu Porna Chakma has already amassed 36 appearances for the Bangladesh women’s national football team. She currently plays for Myanmar Women’s League side Ayeyawady FC and has scored 13 goals at the international stages for Bangladesh.

Chakma scored four goals in Bangladesh’s qualification campaign for the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, and is renowned for her pace and efficient finishing skills – which she aims to use extensively in the SAFF Women’s Championship.

Tohura Khatun

A player who has come up through the youth system at Bangladesh, Tohura Khatun played for the Bangladesh U-14, U-15, U-16 and U-19 women’s teams before making her debut for the senior team as a teenager in 2018.

Khatun has scored 15 goals in 34 appearances for the Bangladesh side and currently plays for Farashganj SC at the domestic scene. Khatun has built a reputation for being dangerous and skillful with the ball, as well as being decisive in creating and converting chances clinically in the final third.

What to expect?

Despite their groggy form in 2026, Bangladesh are not a side to take lightly at the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship. They have momentum in the tournament after having won the last two editions and have enough quality in their squad to pose a major threat to all the teams involved.

Bangladesh women could produce some entertaining attacking football with their vibrant young squad and torment their opponents.

They should easily make it out of the group stage, but whether they can actually excel at the knockout rounds to make the final and win it will depend on the mental fortitude of their players and how clinical they can be in pressure scenarios.

Maldives Women’s Football Team

The Maldives national football team are the lowest-ranked at the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship, but that shouldn’t mean that teams take them lightly. There are a few promising players within their squad and having nothing to lose in this tournament, they’ll aim to be the disruptors in it!

Maldives are currently ranked in 167th position in the FIFA Women’s Rankings and their recent form is nothing to be proud of either. They have lost their last five international matches, which includes losing all their matches in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers as well.

They faced the Blue Tigresses twice in the end of 2024 and start of 2025, losing by a 14-0 and 11-1 margin.

Player to Watchout

Aminath Leeza

Maldives captain and goalkeeper Aminath Leeza will be a crucial figure when Maldives take on India in the SAFF Women’s Championship. With India expected to dominate possession and create several scoring opportunities, Leeza’s shot-stopping ability and leadership at the back could prove vital for her side.

Apart from making crucial saves, the experienced custodian will also have the responsibility of organising the defence and commanding her penalty area. If Maldives are to frustrate India and stay competitive in the contest, Leeza’s performance between the sticks could make all the difference.

What to expect from them?

Even though Maldives are probably the weakest team at the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship, they will be aiming to prove many people wrong about them. Of course, they’ll be facing two of their strongest teams in the group stages in the form of the Blue Tigresses and defending champions Bangladesh, but the onus on them will be to get whatever positive result possible.

Not many expect them to win any games in the tournament, but even a possible draw from either of the two group stage games can be a huge momentum booster and raise the players’ self-belief levels as well. The Maldives players will need to defend as a stubborn unit to frustrate their opponents, closing down the spaces and not letting freedom to their opponents.

They are expected to go with a very defensive, 9-women behind-the-ball kind of attitude in the games. But to vindicate that, they will have to work extremely hard to get any kind of a positive result.

Even a draw or a win can be a huge confidence raiser for the players and indicate that the Maldives women’s football team is slowly, but surely, reviving.

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