India and Pakistan will face each other after a long break of five years as they have been placed in the same group in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup which will be hosted in Bengaluru between June 21 and July 4.
The draw of the 14th edition of SAFF was held in New Delhi on May 17. Defending champions India, Pakistan, Kuwait and Nepal are in Group A whereas Lebanon, Maldives, Bangladesh and Bhutan have been played in Group B.
India and Pakistan will go up against each other on the opening day of the tournament on June 21 evening after Kuwait face Nepal. The last time India and Pakistan locked horns was in SAFF Cup semi-final 2018. In a tournament hosted by Dhaka, India beat Pakistan 3-1 but could not become champions as Maldives beat them 2-1 in the final.
The group matches will be in round-robin format. The top two teams will qualify for the semi-finals which will be played on July 1 followed by the final on July 4.
The reason behind including Lebanon and Kuwait (non-South Asian countries) is done to give the tournament more competitive edge. While India are ranked 101, Lebanon are placed slightly ahead at 99th position.
India have had a good record against arch-rivals Pakistan, winning over a dozen encounters. India have had a good record in SAFF Cup as they have won the title eight times and reached final four times. The only instance when India failed to make it into the final was in 2003.
"Pakistan has confirmed its participation in the tournament, that is why they are here in the draw. All the countries of the South Asian region have the right to play in this tournament," AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said after the draw.
"But things like grant of visas, providing security to the teams, these are not the job of any football federation of any country. The AIFF administration will coordinate with the concerned ministries of the government and we will get the answer with the passage of time."
SAFF Cup 2023 full schedule:
June 21: Kuwait vs Nepal, 3.30 pm IST; India vs Pakistan, 7.30 pm IST
June 22: Lebanon vs Bangladesh, 3.30 pm IST; Maldives vs Bhutan, 7.30 pm IST
June 24: Pakistan vs Kuwait, 3.30 pm IST; Nepal vs India, 7.30 pm IST
June 25: Bangladesh vs Maldives, 3.30 pm IST; Bhutan vs Lebanon, 7.30 pm IST
June 27: Nepal vs Pakistan, 3.30 pm IST; India vs Kuwait, 7.30 pm IST
June 28: Lebanon vs Maldives, 3.30 pm IST; Bhutan vs Bangladesh, 7.30 pm IST
July 1: Semi finals
July 4: Final
