NEW DELHI: The draw for the SAFF U16 Championship and SAFF U19 Championship 2023 was conducted at the BFF House in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday. In the U16 event, India were placed in Group A alongside Nepal and Bangladesh. Hosts Bhutan, Maldives and Pakistan were drawn in Group B.
The SAFF U16 Championship will take place at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu from September 1-10, 2023, as per the AIFF press release. The India U19s were drawn alongside Bhutan and Bangladesh in Group B, while hosts Nepal, Maldives and Pakistan made up Group A. The SAFF U19 Championship 2023 will be held at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu from September 21-30, 2023. The format of both competitions is the same. After a single round-robin group stage, the top two teams from both groups will meet in the semi-finals, the winners of which will contest the final.
India emerged as champions of both SAFF youth tournaments held in 2022 for the U20 and U17 age groups.
The India U20s thrashed Bangladesh 5-2 in the final in Bhubaneswar, while the U17s cruised past Nepal 4-0 in the summit clash in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
SAFF U16 Championship 2023 Draw Group A: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Group B: Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan
SAFF U19 Championship 2023 Draw Group A: Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Group B: India, Bhutan, Bangladesh.