“The players had nothing to do with the politics — but it is the players who pay the price.” — On Pakistan’s withdrawal from the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship
The 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship, scheduled to be hosted by India at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Fatorda Stadium) in Margao, Goa, will proceed with six teams after the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) officially confirmed its withdrawal on 23 April 2026. The PFF cited worsening geopolitical relations — specifically, the Pakistani government’s refusal to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) allowing the women’s team to travel to India.
The development follows the sharp deterioration of India-Pakistan relations after the Pahalgam terror attack (April 2025) and the subsequent four-day cross-border military conflict in May 2025. The 8th edition of South Asia’s premier women’s football competition runs from 25 May to 6 June 2026.
🌍 Why Pakistan Withdrew: Geopolitical Context
Pakistan’s withdrawal was not administrative but a direct governmental decision rooted in the India-Pakistan political standoff. The PFF confirmed that the team “was not issued an NOC by the relevant authorities” — meaning the Pakistani government barred the football squad from travelling to India.
The background lies in the Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April 2025, after which India launched Operation Sindoor — strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The resulting military confrontation lasted approximately four days before a ceasefire, but fundamentally reshaped bilateral ties, including in sport.
In August 2025, India’s Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced a formal policy barring bilateral sporting engagements with Pakistan — but explicitly permitting both countries to compete in multilateral international events under the Olympic Charter. The SAFF Women’s Championship is a multilateral tournament and technically falls under this exception. However, Pakistan’s own government denied travel clearance — making this a case where Pakistan, not India, blocked participation.
Don’t confuse: In the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship withdrawal, it was Pakistan that denied the NOC — not India that denied a visa. India’s August 2025 policy bans bilateral events but explicitly permits multilateral tournaments. Pakistan’s government chose to block its own team’s travel despite SAFF being a multilateral competition.
📜 Pakistan’s Sports Boycott Pattern Since May 2025
The SAFF Women’s Championship exit is part of a broader pattern of sports boycotts since the May 2025 conflict:
- August 2025: Pakistani men’s hockey team withdrew from the Men’s Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar, citing security concerns — even after India had issued visas.
- November 2025: Pakistan withdrew from the 2025 FIH Junior Hockey World Cup held in Tamil Nadu (Chennai and Madurai), demanding future events involving both nations be held at neutral venues.
- April 2026: Pakistan withdraws from the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship in Goa — the latest in this series.
Pakistan has a longer history of irregular SAFF participation. The PFF withdrew from the 2015 SAFF Championship in Kerala citing lack of funds, and failed to participate in the 2016 SAFF Women’s Championship in India citing resource constraints. Those earlier withdrawals were administrative; the 2026 decision is explicitly political.
Pakistan’s women footballers had been rebuilding their programme after years of FIFA suspensions and internal governance disputes — seeking the SAFF tournament as a platform for emerging talent. The 2026 withdrawal denies them valuable international match experience at a critical stage of development. Geopolitical decisions by governments have direct, personal costs for individual athletes who have no role in the political disputes that sideline them.
✨ Tournament Format: Groups & Participating Nations
With Pakistan’s exit, the Official Draw held at the SAFF Secretariat in Dhaka finalised a six-team, two-group format. The top teams from each group, along with the best-performing runner-up, advance to the semi-finals, followed by a final.
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| 🇳🇵 Nepal | 🇮🇳 India (hosts) |
| 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh (defending champions) |
| 🇧🇹 Bhutan | 🇲🇻 Maldives |
Group B features India (5-time champions, hosts) vs. Bangladesh (back-to-back defending champions). Nepal — who eliminated India in the 2024 semi-finals — are in Group A, setting up a potential semi-final rematch.
📌 The Venue: PJN Stadium (Fatorda Stadium), Margao
The Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium — also known as Fatorda Stadium — is located in the Fatorda suburb of Margao, South Goa. Established in 1989, it is Goa’s only international football stadium with a seating capacity of 19,000 spectators. It is owned and operated by the Sports Authority of Goa and serves as the current home ground of FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL).
The stadium has hosted FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, multiple ISL finals, AFC Cup and AFC Champions League matches, and was a venue for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India. It was renovated in 2014 for the Lusofonia Games hosted in Goa.
This will be the second time Goa has hosted a SAFF tournament. The first was the 1999 SAFF Men’s Championship — also at PJN Stadium — where India defeated Bangladesh in the final to claim the title.
⚽ India’s SAFF Women’s Record & The 2026 Stakes
India are the most successful nation in SAFF Women’s Championship history, having won the first five consecutive editions: 2010 (Bangladesh), 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Pakistan), 2016 (India/Siliguri), and 2019 (Nepal). In the inaugural 2010 final, Sasmita Mallick scored the winner against Nepal — she also finished as top scorer with 14 goals in that tournament.
India’s dominance was broken when Bangladesh defeated Nepal 3–1 in the 2022 final in Kathmandu — Bangladesh’s first-ever SAFF women’s title. Bangladesh retained the title in 2024, becoming back-to-back champions — the only other nation besides India to have won the tournament. India were eliminated in the 2024 semi-finals by Nepal, ending their knockout winning streak.
The 2026 edition is India’s second time hosting the SAFF Women’s Championship — the first was the 2016 edition in Siliguri, West Bengal, where India won their fifth title. Home advantage, the pressure of ending Bangladesh’s two-title reign, and a potential Nepal rematch make 2026 a high-stakes occasion for Indian women’s football.
| Edition | Year | Host | Winner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2010 | Bangladesh | 🇮🇳 India | Nepal |
| 2nd | 2012 | Sri Lanka | 🇮🇳 India | Nepal |
| 3rd | 2014 | Pakistan | 🇮🇳 India | Nepal |
| 4th | 2016 | India (Siliguri) | 🇮🇳 India | Nepal |
| 5th | 2019 | Nepal | 🇮🇳 India | Nepal |
| 6th | 2022 | Nepal (Kathmandu) | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | Nepal |
| 7th | 2024 | — | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | — |
| 8th | 2026 | India (Goa) | — | — |
🌍 About SAFF & Tournament History
The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) is a regional subsidiary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) — one of FIFA’s five continental confederations. SAFF was formally established in 1997 with six founding members: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Bhutan joined in 2000, bringing current membership to seven nations. Afghanistan was a member from 2005 until 2015, when it moved to the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). The SAFF Secretariat is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The SAFF Women’s Championship was introduced in 2010 as a biennial competition. The 2026 edition is the 8th in the tournament’s history. SAFF also runs the senior men’s SAFF Championship (held since 1993) — in which India have won the men’s title nine times out of fourteen editions. In January 2025, SAFF announced three new competitions: the SAFF Club Championship, SAFF Women’s Club Championship, and SAFF U-23 Championship.
Think of world football as a pyramid: FIFA sits at the top. Below it are 6 continental confederations — of which AFC (Asian Football Confederation) covers Asia. Below AFC are regional bodies — of which SAFF covers South Asia (7 countries). The SAFF Women’s Championship is the South Asian regional tournament — roughly equivalent to EURO for Europe or COPA América for South America, but at a regional sub-continental level.
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The 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship is the 8th edition of the tournament. It is hosted by India at Fatorda Stadium (PJN Stadium) in Margao, Goa, running from 25 May to 6 June 2026.
Group B consists of India (hosts), Bangladesh (defending champions), and Maldives. Group A has Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. Group B is the stronger and more competitive group.
The PJN Stadium (Fatorda Stadium) in Margao, Goa has a seating capacity of 19,000 spectators. It was established in 1989, is owned by the Sports Authority of Goa, and is the home of FC Goa in the ISL.
SAFF was established in 1997 with 6 founding members. Bhutan joined in 2000, making the current total 7 member nations. The Secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh. SAFF operates under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Bangladesh broke India’s run by winning in 2022 (defeating Nepal 3–1 in Kathmandu) and again in 2024 — making them back-to-back champions and the only other nation besides India to have won the SAFF Women’s Championship.
