Despite ongoing political tensions and long-standing sporting disconnect between India and Pakistan, the two South Asian rivals have been drawn into the same group for the upcoming SAFF Under-17 Championship, scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka from 15 to 27 September.

All seven member nations of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) will participate in the tournament. The official draw was held on Sunday in Dhaka, where Bangladesh were placed in Group A alongside tournament hosts Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, arch-rivals India and Pakistan were drawn into Group B, setting the stage for a potentially high-voltage youth encounter.

The draw was conducted based on the results of the previous edition of the SAFF U-17 Championship in 2024. As hosts, Sri Lanka were placed in the first pot alongside India. The draw saw Sri Lanka allocated to Group A as the top seed, with India heading Group B.

Bangladesh and Pakistan were included in the second pot. The draw was conducted by the coaches of the Bangladesh and Nepal U-20 women’s teams, Peter Butler and the Nepal coach respectively. Bangladesh’s name was picked first, placing them in Group A. Consequently, Pakistan automatically joined Group B with India.

From the third pot, Nepal joined Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Group A, while Bhutan landed in Group B. The final team, Maldives, was drawn into Group B by SAFF U-20 Women’s Championship Match Commissioner Asif Ansari—making Group B a four-team group, while Group A features three teams.

Group A will therefore consist of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, while Group B comprises India, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Maldives. Group B will feature six matches in the group stage, compared to three in Group A. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.

With the tournament just two months away, Bangladesh are expected to begin preparations shortly as they aim to make a strong run in this year’s SAFF U-17 Championship.