SAFF U19 Championship: India drawn alongside Nepal, Sri Lanka

India are the defending champions of the SAFF U19 Championship.

Hosts India were drawn alongside Nepal and Sri Lanka in Group B of the SAFF U19 Championship 2025 in the draw conducted in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025.

The Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh, will host the third edition of the regional U19 men’s tournament from May 9 to 18, 2025. The venue had also hosted the Santosh Trophy Final Round in March 2024.

Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh were drawn up in Group A. For the draw, the teams were seeded in three pots based on the latest FIFA Men’s Rankings as of December 2024.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals that will be played on May 16. The final will take place on May 18.

India are the defending champions, having beaten Pakistan 3-0 in the final of the 2023 edition held in Kathmandu. In 2024, the tournament was held for the U20s, where India lost to Bangladesh on penalties in the semi-finals.

This will be the fourth time India will host an age-group SAFF competition after U20 men’s (Bhubaneswar 2022), U18 women’s (Jamshedpur 2022), and U15 men’s (Kalyani 2019).

SAFF U19 Championship 2025 Draw

Group A: Maldives, Bhutan, BangladeshGroup B: India (hosts), Nepal, Sri Lanka

India’s fixtures in SAFF U19 Championship 2025 Draw:

May 9: Sri Lanka vs IndiaMay 13: India vs NepalMay 16: Semi-finalsMay 18: Final

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