The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) tournament in Goa won’t have Pakistan’s women’s football team as participants as it has not been given permission to play in India.
“We have not been issued an NOC [no objection certificate] by the relevant authorities,” a spokesperson of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) told Al Jazeera.
The tournament, scheduled to kick off on May 25 and run until June 7, returns to India after 10 years. All matches will be played at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao. Last time, Siliguri in West Bengal hosted in 2016.
Ever since the short war that India and Pakistan fought last year in May, things have gone from bad to worse between the neighbours. The far followed a terrible terror attack in Pahalgam, where many Indian tourists were killed.
Even the cricket matches between the two countries have not been spared. The 2025 Asia Cup in Dubai, UAE, was full of acrimony. India beat Pakistan in all three matches they played, including the final, and things were so bad that the Indian players, led by Suryakumar Yadav, refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts.
Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf also made controversial gestures during one of the matches, miming how some of the Indian fighter jets were shot down by the Pakistani army, a claim that doesn’t have any proof to date.
In Pakistan, sporting teams are required to take permission from the government for overseas assignments. “Pakistan was missing from the schedule of the SAFF Women’s Championship, unveiled on Wednesday, with the official draw held in Dhaka placing the remaining teams into two groups.
“The competition will feature Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and defending champions Bangladesh,” reported the Independent.
India have won the event a record five times!
The SAFF women’s championship is a biennial event. The inaugural edition was held in 2010, and India has won the event five times since. The last edition was held in Nepal in 2024.
Bangladesh and Nepal played the final, with the former taking the trophy after a 2-1 win. Pakistan, on the other hand, failed to go beyond the group stages after a 5-2 thumping at the hands of India. They also drew with Bangladesh.
Here is full fixture of the tournament as per the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
