Pakistan’s national football team has officially pulled out of the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, as confirmed by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). This decision has led to a reduced six-team lineup for the tournament, which is set to be held at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, from May 25 to June 6. India will be hosting the SAFF Women’s Championship for the second time, with the previous edition taking place in Siliguri, West Bengal, in 2016, where India emerged as champions for the fourth time.
With Pakistan’s withdrawal, the tournament will proceed with a six-nation format. The teams have been divided into two groups following an official draw at the SAFF Secretariat in Dhaka. The participating nations include Nepal, India (Hosts), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh (Defending Champions), Bhutan, and Maldives. Pakistan’s absence from the championship is a setback for women’s football in the country, which was looking to leverage this platform to showcase its talent on an international stage.
This is not the first instance of Pakistan skipping sporting events in India due to political reasons. In the past, Pakistan also opted out of the men’s junior hockey World Cup held in Tamil Nadu and did not send their senior men’s team to the Asia Cup in Rajgir. India holds the record for the most SAFF Women’s Championship titles, having been crowned champions five times in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019. Bangladesh claimed victory in the last two editions of the championship in 2022 and 2024.
