SAFF-U19 from May 9: Defending champions India in Group B alongside Nepal and Sri Lanka 

Top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals that will be played on May 16

NEW DELHI: Defending champions, India, is placed alongside Nepal and Sri Lanka in Group B of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-19 championship to be held at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia (Arunachal Pradesh) from May 9 to 18.

It is the same venue which also hosted the Santosh Trophy final round in March 2024.

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Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh were drawn in Group A. The teams were seeded in three pots based on the latest FIFA Men’s Rankings as of December 2024.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals that will be played on May 16. The final will take place on May 18.

For the record, India defeated Pakistan 3-0 in the final of the 2023 edition in Kathmandu.

In 2024, the tournament was held for the under-20s, where India lost to Bangladesh on penalties in the semi-finals.

This will be the fourth time India will host an age-group SAFF competition after Under-20 men’s (Bhubaneswar 2022), Under-18 women’s (Jamshedpur 2022) and Under-15 men’s (Kalyani 2019).