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 Wednesday.
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-ranke.
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 yet. Maldives are the two-time champions with the latest being in 2018 while Lebanon and Kuwait are participating in the tournament for the first time.
The 2023 Saff Championship will take place from 21 June to 4 July in Bengaluru, India.
