Pakistan had never reached a SAFF final, and India’s second string will meet them in Dhaka on Tuesday
Abdul Samad’s late goal beat hosts Bangladesh 1-0 in the semi-final. India, who beat Pakistan 3-2 in the group stage, are their opponents on 17 November.
Nov 15, 2026
Pakistan had lost in all four of their previous SAFF Championship semi-finals. The fifth went their way. Abdul Samad scored five minutes from the end of normal time at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday, 14 November, and Pakistan beat the hosts, Bangladesh, 1-0 to reach the final for the first time in a tournament that began in 1993.
Their opponents on Tuesday, 17 November, are India, who beat Bhutan 2-1 in the first semi-final at the same ground earlier in the day. It is the fixture that opened the tournament, and India won that one.
Bangladesh had the ball, Pakistan had the goal
Bangladesh kept close to two-thirds of the possession and came nearest in the first half. In the 27th minute Rakib Hossain hit a powerful shot that the Pakistan goalkeeper could not hold, and it came back off the post. After the break Farhan Ali sent a shot just past the post, and he had been offside anyway.
Pakistan were the more dangerous side on the counter. Samad had already hit the post around the half-hour mark. His winner came from a mistake by Bangladesh goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon, and he made it count. Thomas Dooley’s side threw on substitutes and pushed through stoppage time, and the equaliser never came.
Bangladesh were chasing their first final since 2005. They beat Pakistan in the semi-final that year, in Karachi, before losing 2-0 to India.
India have beaten them once already
The two finalists met on 5 November, when India’s second string won 3-2. Suhail Ahmad Bhat scored twice and Manglenthang Kipgen added a third in the first half, before Najeebullah and Alamgir Ghazi scored for Pakistan in stoppage time. Pakistan then beat Maldives 3-0, and they went through as Group B runners-up when India beat Maldives 1-0 in the last group game.
Pakistan are coached by Nolberto Solano, the former Peru and Newcastle United winger. India’s side in Dhaka is run by Naushad Moosa, as Khalid Jamil has the senior squad in New Zealand for two friendlies. India conceded twice in added time in the opener, and Moosa’s team has to learn from that. On Tuesday they will need to.
India are the defending champions and have won the title nine times. I would still make them favourites. But Pakistan have now beaten the hosts in a packed stadium, and they gave India a scare once already. Two stoppage-time goals from 3-0 down is not the record of a side that will freeze in a final. Kick-off is at 7:30pm IST.