Arunachal Pradesh Football Association: The India U19 men's team arrived in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on Wednesday, ahead of the SAFF U19 Championship 2025, scheduled to take place from May 9 to 18 at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia. Kipa Ajay, Treasurer, AIFF, and Honorary Secretary, Arunachal Pradesh Football Association, welcomed the 25-member Indian squad, coached by Bibiano Fernandes, at the Donyi Polo Airport in the Arunachal capital.
The Blue Colts had been training at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru before arriving in the Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains. It will mark a historic occasion in the sporting history of Arunachal Pradesh as the state will host an international football tournament for the first time.
India will face Nepal and Sri Lanka in their respective Group B fixtures. Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh were drawn into Group A. For the draw, the teams were seeded in three pots based on the latest FIFA Men's Rankings as of December 2024. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals, which will be played on May 16. The final will take place on May 18.
