India v Pakistan: Confirmed lineups and pre-match updates for SAFF Championship opener
India will open its 2026 SAFF Championship campaign against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, 5 November 2026.
The defending champions arrive under coach Naushad Moosa, who has travelled with a 28-man squad to Dhaka and is tasked with retaining the title India won in 2023. Pakistan coach Nolberto Solano has named a squad blending youngsters and experienced players; the report notes Pakistan might be the lowest-rated national team (in the FIFA World Rankings) participating in the tournament and that England-born Mckeal Aroon Abdullah has received his first call-up.
India's confirmed lineup is listed as: Priyansh (GK); Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Bijoy Varghese, Nikhil Prabhu, Muhammed Uvais; Macarton Louis, Ricky Shabong, Ebindas; Noufal PN, Muhammad Suhail, Suhail Bhat. Pakistan's confirmed lineup is: Yousef Butt (GK), Haris Ali Zeb, Abdullah Iqbal, Easah Suliman, Mohib Ullah, Abdul Rehman, M. Hayyaan Khattak, Alamgir Ghazi, Alamgir Ali Khan, Umar Nawaz, Kaleemullah Khan.
The sides have met 29 times in senior internationals, with India winning 16, Pakistan four and nine matches ending in draws. Their most recent meeting was at the SAFF Championship 2023 in Bengaluru, when India won 4-0; Sunil Chhetri scored a hat-trick and Udanta Singh Kumam added the fourth. The article states India have won seven of their nine SAFF Championship matches against Pakistan and that the last time Pakistan defeated India in a senior international was August 20 (2014).
Noufal PN has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026-27 Indian Super League season for Mumbai City, registering two assists in four appearances, and the piece says he will look to carry that form into the SAFF Championship while being more decisive with final-third passes and getting into goal-scoring positions.
The report highlights Umar Nawaz as a promising Pakistan talent who spent years training in the youth academies of Wolves and Wrexham and currently plays for Finnish club Kajaanin Haka. It adds Solano will aim to keep Pakistan compact defensively and be decisive on the breaks, and that a win would validate Pakistan's progress under Solano while a heavy defeat would be a poor start.
The India v Pakistan match will kick off at 3 PM IST and will be live-streamed on the VETO app. For ongoing coverage, the piece directs readers to follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and via the Khel Now Android and iOS apps, WhatsApp and Telegram.
