India are through to the last four of the SAFF Championship as group winners. A first half penalty from Suhail Ahmad Bhat gave the defending champions a 1 nil win over Maldives at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, and goalkeeper Priyansh Dubey made sure the lead held, the All India Football Federation reported.
The result left India top of Group B with six points from two matches. Pakistan finished second on three points, and Maldives went out without a point. India will now play Bhutan in the semi final on Saturday, 14 November, with kick off at 2.30 pm IST, while hosts Bangladesh meet Pakistan in the other semi final.
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How the SAFF Championship win over Maldives unfolded
India needed only a draw to qualify, but they went for the win and kept most of the ball in the first half. Bhat tested Maldives goalkeeper Hussain Shareef with a shot at the near post early on, from a tight angle in the third minute according to Sportstar. The breakthrough came in the 38th minute. Abdul Rabeeh took the ball off defender Hussain Sifaau Yoosuf and was brought down by him inside the box. Bhat sent Shareef the wrong way and placed his kick into the bottom left corner.
It was Bhat’s third goal of the tournament. He scored twice in the first half of India’s opening win over Pakistan, when Manglenthang Kipgen added the third.
Head coach Naushad Moosa made seven changes from that opener. Abhishek Suryavanshi, Muhammed Uvais, Bhat and Ricky Shabong kept their places, Dubey came in for Arsh Anwer Shaikh in goal, and Chinglensana Singh Konsham took the captaincy because Bijoy Varghese had left for New Zealand. Irfan Yadwad and Kipgen came on at half time for Rabeeh and Macarton Nickson, and Vishnu PV replaced Bhat in the 65th minute.
Dubey keeps the clean sheet
India could not add a second goal and, as against Pakistan, they faded in the closing stages. Maldives pushed for an equaliser. Dubey saved a free kick from Ali Hamdhaan in the 79th minute and a shot from substitute Muzdhaan Hassan five minutes later. His biggest moment came in stoppage time, when he rushed off his line and blocked a close range attempt from Ethan Ibrahim Zaki with his face.
That mattered because of what happened six days earlier. On 5 November India led Pakistan 3 nil at half time, then conceded twice in stoppage time through Najeeb Ullah and Alamgir Ghazi and won only 3 to 2, as the AIFF match report recorded. Moosa had asked for better concentration and game management after that match. This time the young side held on.
A young squad defending the title
This is not India’s first choice senior eleven. Moosa, who coaches the India Under 23 men’s team, is in charge in Dhaka, with Bibiano Fernandes as his assistant, according to the squad announcement. Before the tournament, Moosa said in the AIFF preview that he had come with a young team because another squad, led by senior head coach Khalid Jamil, was travelling to New Zealand for two friendly matches.
India are chasing a record extending tenth SAFF Championship title. They won the last edition in 2023, beating Kuwait in the final in Bengaluru. India went into this tournament ranked 138th in the world, against Pakistan’s 197th.
Who India face next
Bhutan’s place in the semi finals was settled later on Wednesday, when Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 4 nil in the last Group A match. The Asian Football Confederation said that result sent Bangladesh through as group winners and lifted Bhutan into second place on goal difference. Sri Lanka had drawn 2 to 2 with Bhutan in their opening game and needed a big win to overtake them.
In that match, Sportstar reported, Shamit Shome put Bangladesh ahead early, new captain Hamza Choudhury doubled the lead near half time, Farhaan Ali Wahid added a third after the break and Rakib Hossain scored the fourth late on. Bangladesh will carry that form into their semi final against Pakistan.
Both semi finals are on 14 November and the final is on 17 November, with every match of the tournament played at the National Stadium in Dhaka. For India the task against Bhutan is to turn first half control into more goals and avoid another nervous finish.
Where Indian football stands
India have already won the SAFF Championship nine times, more than any other team, and a win in Dhaka would make it ten. For a longer view of the game at home, read our look at the rise and fall of football in India. Indian teams have had a busy few weeks in other sports too, with a Commonwealth kabaddi double and a hockey win over China at the Asian Champions Trophy.
Featured image photo: Wutthichai Charoenburi, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. It shows a plain football resting on grass and is used here only as an illustration. It was not taken at the SAFF Championship.
FAQ
Who scored for India against Maldives?
Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored from the penalty spot in the 38th minute, his third goal of the SAFF Championship.
Who will India play in the SAFF Championship semi final?
India play Bhutan on Saturday, 14 November 2026, at the National Stadium in Dhaka. Bangladesh face Pakistan in the other semi final.
When is the final?
The final is scheduled for 17 November 2026 in Dhaka.
Sources
- All India Football Federation, 11 November 2026: match report, lineup, substitutions, saves and semi final opponent and time.
- Sportstar, 11 November 2026: match report, early chance and late stages.
- Asian Football Confederation, 11 November 2026: final group standings and how Bhutan qualified.
- Sportstar, 11 November 2026: Bangladesh 4 Sri Lanka 0 report and semi final pairing.
- All India Football Federation, 5 November 2026: India 3 Pakistan 2 report.
- All India Football Federation, November 2026: tournament preview, Moosa’s remarks, FIFA rankings and 2023 final.
- All India Football Federation, November 2026: squad, coaches, format and dates.