DHAKA (The Thursday Times) — Pakistan have reached the semi-finals of the South Asian Football Federation Championship 2026 after India beat Maldives 1-0 in the last Group B match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Tuesday.
Pakistan lost their opening game 3-2 to India but beat Maldives 3-0, leaving their place in the knockout stage dependent on an Indian win. Suhail Bhat’s 39th-minute penalty gave India victory. India topped the group with six points, Pakistan were second with three, and Maldives went out without a win.
As Group B runners-up, Pakistan will play the Group A winners in the semi-final on November 14. Their opponents were to be decided by the last group match between hosts Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Diaspora reinforcements
Five diaspora players, Abdullah Iqbal, Easah Suliman, Adil Nabi, Ali Akbar Khan, and Abdul Samad, have joined the squad in Bangladesh. They missed the group stage because the tournament is being played outside a FIFA international window, when clubs do not have to release players.
