Sri Lanka opened their 2026 SAFF Championship campaign with a 2-2 draw against Bhutan in a Group A match in Dhaka on Sunday, Hiru News reported, describing the game as ending with neither side taking the win.
It was Sri Lanka’s first appearance in the 15th edition of the regional tournament, played at the Bangabandhu National Stadium with a 7.30 pm kick-off.
What was at stake
Bhutan came into the match under pressure, having lost 1-0 to hosts Bangladesh in their opening fixture, the Daily Mirror reported ahead of the game. A second defeat would have eliminated them.
The two sides were closely matched on paper — Sri Lanka 184th in the FIFA world rankings, Bhutan 182nd — though the head-to-head record favoured Sri Lanka, who had won seven of the nine previous meetings to Bhutan’s two.
What the draw means
With Bhutan having now completed both group matches on a single point, and Bangladesh on three with one to play, the hosts are assured of at least second place in Group A and a semi-final berth — the outcome reported by regional newsrooms covering the match. Sri Lanka, also on one point, face Bangladesh in their remaining group game.
In Group B, defending champions India beat Pakistan 3-2.
A rebuilt squad
Sri Lanka are seeking their first SAFF title since 1995. The Football Federation of Sri Lanka has spent two years assembling a squad combining local players with footballers of Sri Lankan origin based overseas, backed by full-time training and international fixtures. The side has played 27 internationals in that period, winning 12 and drawing five, including a run of five straight wins.
Head coach Abdullah Almutairi used the pre-match press conference to set a longer horizon. “My target is to qualify for the first time in history for the Asia Cup 2032,” he said. “My contract for the next four years is only to focus on Asia Cup 2032.”
Captain Sujan Perera, a goalkeeper, said the team had a clear plan for both group matches and would focus on progressing before thinking about the final.
Not reported
The Sinhala filing gives the result and venue but no goal timeline or scorers. Goal-scorer names circulating in regional match reports did not match the FFSL squad list published by the Daily Mirror, so this desk has not reproduced them. No Sri Lankan verified newsroom had published a post-match report with a confirmed timeline at the time of writing, and Ada Derana — which carried the result — remains unreachable to this desk.
