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India faced Maldives on Wednesday in the final game of Group B at the SAFF Championship 2026, at the National Stadium in Dhaka, with the group to be decided. The defending champions needed only a draw to top the group — but they were doing it with a second-string side, short on players, against a Maldives team that needed a big win to have any chance of going through.
India beat Maldives 1-0 in Dhaka to top Group B and reach the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship 2026. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored the only goal of the game, converting a penalty in the 39th minute, and the defending champions held firm under late Maldives pressure to seal the win. The result takes India to six points from two games — top of Group B ahead of Pakistan on three points and Maldives on none — and into the last four on 14 November. India’s semi-final opponent is not yet confirmed; it will be decided once Group A is settled.
The group maths
The equation was simple before kick-off. India beat Pakistan 3-2 in the opener on 5 November, and Pakistan then beat Maldives 3-0. That left India on three points, Pakistan on three, and Maldives on none — with India ahead on goal difference. A draw against Maldives would take India to four points and top spot. Even a one-goal defeat would leave India ahead of Maldives on goal difference. Only a big Maldives win could change the order.
The format rewards the group winners with the easier semi-final draw, and for a side as short-handed as this one, topping the group matters more than it usually would. India have won the SAFF Championship a record nine times and arrived in Dhaka as defending champions; the expectation, even with a second-string squad, is to reach the final on 17 November.
A second-string side, stretched thin
India are fielding a second-string side under coach Naushad Moosa, and the squad has been stretched from the start. Only 17 players were available for the Pakistan game — barely enough to fill a matchday squad with six substitutes. Six new players, including Irfan Edwards and Brison Fernandes, joined the squad before the Maldives match, easing the numbers but not the inexperience: this is a young, makeshift team learning the tournament as it goes.
That context makes the Pakistan win — 3-2 in the opener — more impressive than the scoreline suggests. India conceded twice and still won with a squad that had almost no depth to call on. The Maldives game was a different test: not a derby with everything to prove, but a game to manage, against opponents who had to chase it.
Head-to-head and history
India won the last meeting between the sides 3-0 in Shillong in March 2025, and they have dominated this fixture historically. Maldives’ task in Dhaka was therefore not just to win, but to win by a margin big enough to overturn India’s goal difference — a tall order against any Indian side, even a second-string one.
The wider history favours India heavily: nine SAFF titles, more than any other nation, and a defence of the crown they won last time. Maldives have never won the tournament. The gap in pedigree is real, but tournament football has a habit of ignoring it — and a Maldives side with nothing to lose is exactly the kind of opponent that can punish complacency.
What comes next
The semi-finals are on 14 November and the final on 17 November, all in Dhaka. The group winners will know their semi-final opponents once the other group is decided. For India, the immediate question after this game is whether the squad holds together: with so few players available, every injury and every suspension matters more than usual.
The match was streamed live and free on the VETO app, with no television broadcast in India — a reminder of how the SAFF Championship sits in the pecking order of Indian football coverage, even when the national team is playing for a group win.
Frequently asked questions
What was the score? India beat Maldives 1-0. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored the only goal, a 39th-minute penalty.
Who topped Group B? India, with six points from two wins — 3-2 over Pakistan and 1-0 over Maldives. Pakistan finished second on three points; Maldives finished last with none.
When are the semi-finals? 14 November, with the final on 17 November, all in Dhaka.
Why is India fielding a second-string side? Coach Naushad Moosa is working with a makeshift squad — only 17 players were available for the Pakistan game, and six new players joined before the Maldives match.
How many SAFF titles has India won? Nine — a record. India are the defending champions.
Key takeaways
- India faced Maldives in the SAFF Championship 2026 Group B finale in Dhaka on 11 November, kick-off 2:30 PM PKT.
- A draw was enough for India to top the group; even a one-goal defeat would have left them ahead on goal difference.
- India are fielding a second-string side under Naushad Moosa — only 17 players were available for the Pakistan game.
- India beat Pakistan 3-2 in the opener; Pakistan then beat Maldives 3-0.
- India have won the SAFF Championship a record 9 times and are defending champions; semi-finals 14 Nov, final 17 Nov, all in Dhaka.
- India beat Maldives 1-0 in Dhaka — Suhail Ahmad Bhat’s 39th-minute penalty — to top Group B with six points and reach the semi-finals on 14 November.
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