SAFF Championship fixtures for Indian Football Team announced

Five teams will contest the regional tournament in a round-robin format from 1-13 October in Male.

The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has released the fixture list for SAFF Championship 2021. The tournament will be held from October 1-13 in Male with five participating teams including the Indian football team.

India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have been confirmed as alongside the hosts for the biennial tournament. Maldives will face Nepal in the tournament opener at the National Football Stadium, Male City.

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India will begin its tournament facing Bangladesh on October 3. Igor Stimac's side will then face Sri Lanka on October 6, before facing Nepal on the 8th. The Blue Tigers will end their groupstage facing hosts Maldives on October 11. The National Football Stadium is set to host all the fixtures.

The final match will be played between the top two sides from the group stage. Provided that Stimac's men finish the groupstage as the supreme two, they'll be on action on the 13th.

As the most successful team so far in the SAFF Championship, the Indian football team will eye on its 8th regional silverware. The side is currently on a preparation camp and will contest two friendlies against Nepal before departing to Male.

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All Fixtures at SAFF Championship 2021

• October 1, 2021 - 4:30 pm - Nepal vs Maldives
• October 1, 2021 - 9:30 pm - Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
• October 3, 2021 - 4:30 pm - Bangladesh vs India
• October 3, 2021 - 9:30 pm - Sri Lanka vs Nepal
• October 6, 2021 - 4:30 pm - India vs Sri Lanka
• October 6, 2021 - 9:30 pm - Maldives vs Bangladesh
• October 8, 2021 - 4:30 pm - Maldives vs Sri Lanka
• October 8, 2021 - 9:30 pm - Nepal vs India
• October 11, 2021 - 4:30 pm - Bangladesh vs Nepal
• October 11, 2021 - 4:30 pm - India vs Maldives
• October 13, 2021 - 8:30 pm - Final

SAFF decided the fixtures on Wednesday after Bhutan decided to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-concerns. Pakistan, on the other hand, will be left out following a FIFA-imposed ban.

Maldives is currently hosting the group-D fixtures of the AFC Cup. Prior to this, Maldives hosted the 2008 SAFF Championship, winning a historic tournament in its own backyard. The island nation was decided as hosts in the very last minute, after Bangladesh pulled out as hosts.

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