India U-20 take on Pakistan U-20 in SAFF U-20 Championship 2026 campaign opener

India U-20 kick off SAFF U-20 Championship campaign against Pakistan

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

Players to Watchout

Danny Meitei (India U-20)

Danny Meitei was one of India U-20’s best players in the 2025 SAFF U-20 Championship, scoring five goals to help them earn a place in the final. He will look to do something similar in the 2026 edition, with the NorthEast United youngster eager to prove his quality for the Blue Colts.

Meitei will look to help his side dominate the midfield battle by being a proactive figure, winning the ball back and urging them into the final third.

The teenager will also look to create chances with better delivery into the final third and also look to get at the end of chances to torment the Pakistani players and help enhance India’s goal-scoring qualities.

Zain Imran (Pakistan U-20)

Zain Imran is arguably the most high-profile name in the Pakistan U-20 squad for the SAFF U-20 Championship, as he has impressed for the Melbourne Victory youth teams in the past.

He plays for Melbourne Victory’s U-23 side right now and will look to use his experience and quality to uplift Pakistan’s chances of getting a win against India.

Even though Imran had a relatively underwhelming display against Bangladesh U-20, he’ll look to pick himself up by being a sturdy figure in the midfield. He’ll be focused on helping his backline by dropping deep to make crucial challenges to frustrate India U-20.

Imran will also be urged to be proactive with his forward passes to help create counter-attack chances and help his side hold their own in the midfield battle against India U-20.

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.

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