Football
SAFF U-20 Championship 2022: Preview, Schedule, Indian squad, When to Watch, Live Stream
All you need to know about the SAFF U-20 Championship 2022.
India U20 coach Shanmugham Venkatesh and defender Bikash Yumnam (Source: Indian Football/Twitter)
The 4th edition of the SAFF U-20 Championship is underway in Bhubaneshwar where five teams, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, will battle it out to claim the prestigious title.
Preview:
The competition kicked off today, 25th July, with Nepal going against the Maldives where the former thrashed the latter for four goals. The two-time champions have started their campaign with a blistering victory.
India is the current holder of the SAFF U20 trophy after winning in the final of the 2019 edition. Coach Shanmugam Venkatesh will lead the Indian youngsters in the competition and hope to defend their title in their backyard.
"We are prepared for the SAFF Championship and the boys are really motivated. For us, this will be good preparation for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, and all our players know the importance of taking it step by step as part of our development," said Venkatesh in a press conference.
"I must thank the Government of Odisha for providing such world-class facilities for the tournament. We have also been training here for a long time, and that has really helped the boys develop."
Apart from the Indian coach, other nations were all praising the Kalinga Stadium's facilities and overall management handled by the Odisha government.
Schedule:
- Bangladesh vs India (27th July)
- India vs Sri Lanka (29th July)
- Nepal vs India (31st July)
- India vs Maldives (2nd August)
The final will be played on the 5th of August between Group Champion 1 and Group Champion 2.
Indian Squad:
Goalkeepers: Syed Zahid Hussain Bukhari, Mohit Singh Dhami, Som Kumar.
Defenders: Amandeep, Halen Nongtdu, Bikash Yumnam, Sajad Hussain Parray, Raj Basfore, Brijesh Giri, Tankadhar Bag, Pritam Meetei Sorokhaibam.
Midfielders: Sibajit Singh Leimapokpam, Vibin Mohanan, Vinay Harji, Maheson Singh Tongbram, Sujit Singh, Harsh Sailesh Patre, Taison Singh Loitongbam, Macarton Louis Nickson.
Forwards: Gurkirat Singh, Parthib Sundar Gogoi, Himanshu Jangra, Shubho Paul.
When to Watch?
- Bangladesh vs India (4 pm IST)
- India vs Sri Lanka (4 pm IST)
- Nepal vs India (7 pm IST)
- India vs Maldives (7 pm IST)
LIVE Stream
All the live action will be live streamed on AIFF's Facebook page. Moreover, Sportzworks YouTube channel and Eleven Sports platform will also be streaming the matches.
