Bangladesh face India in title clash on Friday

Bangladesh are set to take on India in the final of the SAFF U-20 Championship 2026 at the National Football Stadium in Malé, Maldives, on Friday.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 9:00 PM Bangladesh time, with both sides aiming to secure the regional youth title after an impressive run in the tournament.

Bangladesh reached the final after a narrow 1-0 victory over Nepal in the semifinal, showing defensive discipline and composure under pressure.

India, on the other hand, advanced in dominant fashion, thrashing Bhutan 5-0 in their semifinal encounter.

Both teams had earlier faced Pakistan in the group stage, with Bangladesh registering a 2-0 win and India securing a convincing 3-0 victory. The two finalists also met each other in the group phase, where the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

With evenly matched performances so far, the final is expected to be a closely contested battle between the two South Asian rivals.

AM