New Delhi, March 11 (NationPress) Hosts India have been placed in Group B of the SAFF U19 Championship 2025 alongside Nepal and Sri Lanka during a draw held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Previously, Arunachal Pradesh received the hosting rights for this championship, marking the state's inaugural international football event. The matches will be held at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia from May 9 to 18. This venue also hosted the Santosh Trophy Final Round in March of the prior year.

Group A includes Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. For the draw, the teams were categorized into three pots based on the most recent FIFA Men's Rankings as of December 2024.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, scheduled for May 16, with the final taking place on May 18.

India is the reigning champion, having secured a 3-0 victory against Pakistan in the final of the 2023 edition, which was also held in Kathmandu. In 2024, the tournament featured U20 teams, where India faced defeat to Bangladesh in a penalty shootout during the semi-finals.

This will be the fourth occasion that India hosts an age-group SAFF competition, following the U20 men's in Bhubaneswar 2022, U18 women's in Jamshedpur 2022, and U15 men's in Kalyani 2019.

The 2025 SAFF U-19 Championship represents the seventh edition of this regional youth football tournament, organized by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), featuring men's under-19 national teams from South Asia.

SAFF U19 Championship 2025 Draw

Group A: Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh

Group B: India (hosts), Nepal, Sri Lanka

India's fixtures:

May 9: Sri Lanka vs India

May 13: India vs Nepal

May 16: Semi-finals

May 18: Final