The defending champions, Bangladesh, have a challenging group stage draw at the upcoming SAFF Women's Championship in Nepal. They will kick off their campaign against Pakistan on October 20 before facing regional powerhouse rivals India two days later.
The three teams form Group A alongside Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan in Group B. The schedule for the seventh edition of the tournament was announced by the South Asian Football Federation on Sunday.
The group stage will take place from October 17 to 24, leading to two semifinals on October 27. The final is scheduled for October 30.
All matches will be held at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu, where Bangladesh clinched their first regional title in the 2022 edition, defeating Nepal 3-1 in the final. The tournament featuring seven countries of South Asia is scheduled to be held in Nepal. The tournament was originally planned for Bangladesh but was relocated to Nepal due to the unavailability of the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
