DOT Desk: Bangladesh have been placed in Group B alongside Lebanon, Maldives and Bhutan during the draw of the Saff Championship 2023 which took place in Delhi, India yesterday, reports Dhaka Tribune.
Defending champions India are in Group A alongside Kuwait, Nepal and Pakistan.Lebanon (99th) are the top-ranked side in the eight-team competition while Pakistan (195th) are the bottom-ranked.
Bangladesh, who were in Pot 4 along with Pakistan during the draw, ranked 192nd in the latest FIFA rankings. Bangladesh became the champions of Saff Championship only once in 2003 and finished runners-up in the following edition in 2005.
Since then, the men in red and green have not reached the semi-finals.Maldives are the two-time champions with the latest title coming in 2018 while Lebanon and Kuwait are participating in the tournament for the first time.
The 2023 Saff Championship will take place from June 21 to July 4 in Bengaluru, India.Bangladesh will begin their campaign against Lebanon 22 June before facing Maldives and Bhutan on 25 and 28 June respectively