India seek perfect group finish against Maldives at SAFF Championship in Dhaka
India face Maldives at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, in a SAFF Championship 2026 group-stage decider as they aim to complete a perfect group campaign.
India opened their SAFF 2026 campaign with a 3-2 win over Pakistan, Suhail Bhat scoring twice and Kipgen adding a third before half-time, while Pakistan responded with two quick goals but could not overturn the deficit. Maldives arrive after a 3-0 defeat by Pakistan in which all three goals came in the first half, and despite enjoying significant possession in that match they failed to score. With top spot in Group B at stake, both sides meet knowing the result will determine group-stage positions.
Coach Naushad Moosa will be seeking improvements from India after some late sloppiness against Pakistan, urging the team to produce faster, more inventive attacking moves and to be clinical in chance creation and finishing. The article states that a high-scoring win would provide momentum heading into the semifinals, while dropping points would be detrimental to the defending champions’ campaign.
Moosa should have additional options available for the Maldives game, including Liston Colaco, Chinglensana Singh, Macarton Nickson and Irfan Yadwad, according to the report. Maldives should have the same squad as they did in the previous game against Pakistan. Arsh Anwar (GK), Abdul Rabeeh, Chinglensana Singh, Nikhil Prabhu, Muhammed Uvais, Rick Shabong, Macarton Nickson, Kipgen, Irfan, Suhail Bhat, Brison Hussain Shareef (GK), Hussain Sifaau, Amdaan Ali, Ali Samooh, Ahmed Rasheed, Ibrahim Hassan, Ibrahim Aisham, Mohamed Naim, Ahmed Aiham, Ibrahim Mahudhee, Ali Fasir
Suhail Bhat’s tournament form is highlighted as a chance to stake a claim for the India No.9 role; the Mohun Bagan forward scored a brace against Pakistan and the piece notes his off-the-ball movement, link-up play and priority on converting chances as key attributes. The write-up emphasises Bhat’s role inside the penalty area and his aim to continue troubling opposition defences.
The report singles out 38-year-old Ali Fasir as a veteran presence for Maldives who is likely to feature and use his experience to impact the game; it adds that Fasir may lack top-end pace but can influence matches with intelligent movement, duel-winning and positioning in the penalty area, and that he must also contribute defensively.
India will face Maldives on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, in their final group-stage match of the SAFF Championship at the National Stadium, Dhaka; kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 PM IST and the game will be streamed live on the Veto app.