Pakistan vs India national football team standings
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
India beat Pakistan 3-2 in their SAFF Championship Group B opener in Dhaka.
India lead the head-to-head 16-4 and are ranked 138 to Pakistan's 197.
Background
The SAFF Championship is South Asia's regional national-team football tournament; the 2026 edition, the 15th, runs November 4-17 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with India as defending champions after beating Kuwait in the 2023 final. India are coached by Naushad Moosa, their U-23 head coach, and are chasing a record-extending 10th title; Pakistan are coached by former Peruvian international Nolberto Solano and captained by Danish-born Abdullah Iqbal. India have dominated the fixture historically, winning 16 of 29 previous meetings with four Pakistan wins and nine draws, and sit 138th in the FIFA rankings against Pakistan's 197. India fielded a depleted, second-string squad: only 18 players were available for the Pakistan match, with 10 more joining once the international window opens on November 9, while the senior side tours New Zealand for friendlies.
How it unfolded
- Nov 4, 2026The 15th SAFF Championship begins in Dhaka, Bangladesh, running to November 17; India are drawn with Pakistan and Maldives in Group B, while hosts Bangladesh are in Group A with Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
- Nov 5, 2026India beat Pakistan 3-2 in the Group B opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka, with Suhail Ahmad Bhat scoring in the 13th and 19th minutes and Manglenthang Kipgen in the 31st; Najeeb Ullah (90+1') and Alamgir Ghazi (90+4') scored for Pakistan.
- Nov 5, 2026Pakistan's Shayak Dost sent a penalty over the crossbar after Abhishek Suryavanshi brought down Hayyaan Khattak in the area.
- Nov 11, 2026India face Maldives in their final Group B fixture at 15:00 at the National Stadium in Dhaka; the top two teams from each group reach the semi-finals.
- Nov 14, 2026The semi-finals are scheduled for 2:30 PM and 8:00 PM.
- Nov 17, 2026The final is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
Key terms
- SAFF Championship
- The main football competition for senior men's national teams of the South Asian Football Federation, crowning the sub-continental champion.
- international window
- A designated period in the FIFA match calendar when clubs must release players for national team matches.
- FIFA rankings
- A system ranking men's national football teams of FIFA member nations based on their match results.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Shajji Prabhakaran, former general secretary of the All India Football Federation, said he expected the teams to shake hands as football protocol regardless of the country, adding that the India-Pakistan rivalry "has not yet come into football."
- Analysts
- Prabhakaran said India have dominated the fixture but that there is potential if Pakistan improves.
Still unverified
Whether the players would shake hands before or after the game was an open question ahead of the match, with extra attention on the pre- and post-game moments.