Pakistan have booked their place in the semifinals of the SAFF Championship 2026, with India’s narrow 1-0 victory over the Maldives confirming the final shape of Group B and sending the Green Shirts into the last four of South Asia’s biggest football tournament.
The result in Dhaka on Wednesday evening settled the group without Pakistan even having to kick a ball. India, the defending champions, held on to a first-half lead at the National Stadium in the Bangladeshi capital to finish top of the group with six points from two matches. Pakistan claimed second place with three points, and the Maldives ended their campaign empty-handed, losing both of their games without scoring a single goal. It was a satisfying way for Pakistan to reach the knockout stage after beginning the tournament with a defeat.
India’s win was far from comfortable. Suhail Ahmad Bhat gave them the lead from the penalty spot in the 39th minute, after a foul inside the box, and for much of the second half the defending champions were hanging on. The Maldives pushed hard for an equaliser after the break, but Indian goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey stood firm, making several important saves to protect the lead and secure a second straight victory. It was enough to take India through as group winners with a perfect record.
For Pakistan, the arithmetic had been clear since Sunday. They had opened their campaign with a 3-2 defeat against India and responded in the best possible way. On November 8, they produced a convincing 3-0 victory over the Maldives that put them firmly in control of their own fate. Under head coach Nolberto Solano, Pakistan dominated the first half of that game, with McKeal Abdullah converting an early penalty before 19-year-old striker Najeeb Ullah scored twice to put the result beyond doubt. It turned a tournament that had started badly into one full of promise.
Najeeb has been the story of Pakistan’s campaign so far. The teenager has scored three goals in two matches, including one against India in the opening game, and his brace against the Maldives showed a striker growing in confidence with every outing. His movement and finishing have given Pakistan a cutting edge they have often lacked. Solano has built the team around that youthful energy, and the win over the Maldives was the clearest sign yet that his approach is taking hold.
The road ahead, however, gets considerably harder. Pakistan will face the winners of Group A in the semifinals on November 14, and their opponents will only be decided after Wednesday night’s match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The hosts currently lead Group A with three points, having beaten Bhutan 1-0 in their opening match, while Sri Lanka sit second with one point after a 2-2 draw against Bhutan. A draw or a win would keep Bangladesh top and set up a semifinal against Pakistan in front of their own supporters in Dhaka, while a Sri Lankan win would put Sri Lanka top instead.
Bangladesh will go into that game as favourites, having already secured their semifinal place when Sri Lanka and Bhutan drew 2-2 on Sunday, and they carry the weight of a proud history in this competition. Bangladesh last lifted the regional trophy in 2003, and a home tournament is a rare chance to end a long wait. They beat Bhutan through a 69th-minute goal from substitute Mohammad Ibrahim, and their organised style under head coach Thomas Dooley has made them hard to break down. Pakistan know that a semifinal against the hosts, in a full stadium in Dhaka, would be one of the toughest assignments in South Asian football.
There is even a twist in the Group A arithmetic. If Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by two goals or more, Bhutan, who have finished their group games with a single point, could still sneak through on goal difference. It is a reminder of how fine the margins are in a short tournament, where every goal matters.
India, meanwhile, will face the Group A runners-up in the other semifinal, also on November 14, with the final scheduled for November 17. For Pakistan, though, the focus is narrower and more immediate. Reaching the semifinals is a genuine achievement, a reward for bouncing back from that opening defeat and for the emergence of a young striker who looks like he belongs at this level. But semifinals are not the destination. Solano’s side now have three days to prepare for the biggest game of their tournament, and a place in the final on November 17 is just one win away.
