India, Pak to renew football rivalry soon
New Delhi, May 17
India and Pakistan are set to renew their football rivalry after nearly five years as the two neighbouring countries have been clubbed in the same group in the SAFF Cup to be held in Bengaluru from June 21 to July 4.
The draw for the 14th edition of the tournament was held here today with defending champions India, Pakistan, Kuwait and Nepal being clubbed in Group A. Lebanon, Maldives, Bangladesh and Bhutan are in Group B. The group matches will be played in a round-robin league format and the top two teams in each group will qualify for the semifinals of the eight-nation regional tournament at the Kanteerava Stadium.
Lebanon and Kuwait — the two countries outside of South Asia — were invited to make the tournament more competitive. Lebanon are the highest ranked side at 99th, while Pakistan are the lowest at 195th. India are the second-highest ranked side at 101st. The Indo-Pak Group A match will be played on June 21 in the second match of the opening day after Kuwait face Nepal in the inaugural game. India and Pakistan last played against each other in 2018 in the semifinals of the SAFF Cup in Dhaka. India won that match 3-1.
