SAFF Championship draw set

The official draw for the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship takes place on Saturday in Thimphu, Bhutan, at 5:00pm Bangladesh time, ahead of the regional football tournament set to run from 4 to 17 November in Dhaka.

The initial draw will feature six teams due to an ongoing FIFA ban in Nepal.

However, SAFF confirmed that Nepal could still participate if their suspension is lifted in time.

SAFF General Secretary Purushottam Kattel stated that the executive committee will set a deadline during a meeting on Saturday morning. If FIFA lifts Nepal's suspension before this deadline, the team will be included in the competition, otherwise, the tournament will proceed with six nations.

If Nepal is cleared to play, SAFF has confirmed they will be placed directly into host nation Bangladesh's group. This addition will give Bangladesh an extra group match, but SAFF assured that it will not require major changes to the overall tournament schedule.

Under the six-team format, the competition will feature two groups of three teams. If Nepal joins to make it seven, Bangladesh's group will expand to four teams. Full fixtures for both six-team and seven-team scenarios will be released on Saturday, with the tournament remaining on track to finish on 17 November.