Hosts Bangladesh have settled their squad for the SAFF Championship at the end of a difficult preparation period, with late additions and a final change to the group coming just two days before the tournament begins in Dhaka on Thursday.
Meanwhile nine-time champions India have arrived in Dhaka with a young squad determined to claim a record-extending 10th title. India coach Naushad Musa, however, believes the hosts are the strongest team in the competition and hopes to meet them in the final.
“My assessment is that Bangladesh are the strongest team in the tournament at the moment. I hope we face them in the final,” Musa told reporters after their arrival on Tuesday.
Bangladesh’s preparations have been far from straightforward. Head coach Thomas Dooley has had to make late adjustments to his squad, with Abdullah Omar Sajib and Taj Uddin receiving call-ups and defender Isa Faisal released. The changes followed an injury to forward Ronan Sullivan, who was ruled out of the tournament.
Bangladesh began their camp on 25 October but have not played a warm-up match. Their preparations have also been affected by the availability of overseas-based players. Hamza Choudhury and Farhaan Ali Wahid will miss Thursday’s opening match against Bhutan before becoming available for the second group fixture against Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh will begin their campaign at the National Stadium on Thursday, hoping to end a 23-year wait for the regional title. Their only SAFF Championship triumph came in 2003, also on home soil.
India, meanwhile, are relying largely on players from their Under-23 setup. Their senior national team are scheduled to play two friendlies against New Zealand during the November FIFA window, leaving the SAFF campaign to Musa, who normally coaches the U23 side. Most of the 28 players selected for the tournament are from that age group.
The Indian coach acknowledged that club commitments would also affect his options for the opening match, with some players involved in the Indian Super League.
“From 5 November, 10 teams will be playing in the league. We will not get some of those players before the first match. That is a challenge, but the team I have is not bad. To be honest, our team is strong too,” Musa said.
Bangladesh cannot afford to underestimate the young Indian side. India reached the 2009 SAFF final in Dhaka with an U23 team, beating hosts Bangladesh 1-0 in the semi-finals before defeating Maldives on penalties to win the trophy.
India have won the championship nine times, most recently in 2023, when they beat Kuwait in the final. Bangladesh, meanwhile, have enjoyed recent success against their neighbours, beating India 1-0 in Dhaka in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier on 18 November 2025 after the sides drew 0-0 in India in March in the same year.
