SAFF Women’s Championship: Pakistan bows out of India-hosted football tournament football news
New Delhi: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Thursday said that Pakistan women’s football team has withdrawn from the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship to be hosted by India, news agency IANS reported.The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) had earlier said that all seven member teams would take part in the tournament, “making it one of the premier women’s football competitions in the region.”With the withdrawal of Pakistan, the tournament will now be played with six teams. The event is scheduled from May 25 to June 6 at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa.
This will be the second time that India will host the SAFF Women’s Championship after the 2016 edition in Siliguri, where India won its fourth title. This will also be the second SAFF tournament in Goa. The 1999 Men’s SAFF Championship was also held at the same venue, where India defeated Bangladesh in the final.Following Pakistan’s exit, the remaining six teams – Nepal, India (hosts), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (reigning champions), Bhutan and Maldives – have been placed in two groups following a draw held at the SAFF Secretariat in Dhaka.The withdrawal will impact Pakistan women’s football, which has been looking to gain more match experience after facing administrative issues and limited international games in recent years.Pakistan had also withdrawn from the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup held in Tamil Nadu in November last year. They did not even send their senior men’s team to the Asia Cup in Rajgir.India is the most successful team in the SAFF Women’s Championship, having won five titles in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019. Bangladesh has won the last two editions in 2022 and 2024.Draw:Group A: Nepal, Sri Lanka, BhutanGroup B: India, Bangladesh, Maldives.