India v Pakistan: All-time head-to-head record ahead of SAFF Championship 2026
As of 2026-11-04, India and Pakistan have met 29 times in international football and will face each other in the 2026 SAFF Championship; India have won 16, drawn nine and Pakistan have four victories.
India enter the tournament as defending champions and the most successful side in SAFF Championship history with nine titles, having won the previous two editions. The Blue Tigers will begin the 2026 campaign with a second-string squad while the senior group is scheduled to play two friendlies against New Zealand, and some Indian players will only be available from the team’s second game. Pakistan have never won the competition and their best finish remains third place in 1997. The Pakistan Football Federation has increasingly turned to diaspora players; four of the most crucial members of a 28-member squad will only be available from the knockout stages.
Pakistan’s most recent victory over India came in 2005, a 3-0 friendly in Lahore. Before that, Pakistan recorded a 1-0 surprise win over Stephen Constantine’s side in the group stage of the 2003 SAFF Championship; India then beat Pakistan 2-1 after extra time in the third-place playoff, with IM Vijayan and Abhishek Yadav on the scoresheet.
The last five meetings between the sides have gone in India’s favour, most occurring in the SAFF Championship where India scored 13 goals and conceded three across those matches. When the nations met at the same venue in 2018, an India U-23 side defeated Pakistan 3-1 in the semi-final, with Manvir Singh and Sumeet Passi among the scorers.
The most recent encounter came in the 2023 SAFF Championship when Igor Stimac’s side beat Pakistan 4-0 on a rainy night at a packed Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
On paper India are the favourites for the opening match despite fielding a second-string side; Pakistan will need to produce their best possible performance to secure a victory, with both teams facing selection constraints because some players will only join later in the tournament.
Naushad Moosa will lead the Blue Tigers in the 2026 SAFF Championship and the clash between India and Pakistan is scheduled for November 5, 202,6 at 15:00 IST.
