Cricket owns the Pakistan–India rivalry in the popular imagination, but on the football pitch the neighbours have their own history — 25 meetings stretching across decades, almost all of them in the SAFF Championship. These are the India vs Pakistan football matches that defined the fixture.
Quick answer: India and Pakistan have met 25 times in football (India 16 wins, Pakistan 2, 7 draws). The defining recent match is India’s 4-0 win at SAFF 2023 in Bengaluru. The next meeting comes at SAFF Championship 2026 in Dhaka this November, where both are in Group B.
In this guide
2023: The 4-0 in Bengaluru
June 2023, Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Pakistan walked out for their first SAFF Championship match in years — fresh off FIFA suspensions that had kept the team out of competitive football — and into a buzzing Indian home crowd. What followed was a demonstration of the gap: India, sharp and settled, won 4-0, with Sunil Chhetri — already India’s record scorer — leading the line. For Pakistan it was a harsh reintroduction to tournament football; for India, a statement that regional dominance had not dimmed. It remains the last meeting between the sides and the reference point for everything said about the fixture since.
SAFF Classics Through the Years
The SAFF Championship — launched in 1993 as the SAARC Gold Cup — is the natural habitat of this fixture. India have won it nine times (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023), and Pakistan–India games have decided group placings and knockout fates across those editions. The pattern of the SAFF-era meetings is consistent: India controlling possession and territory, Pakistan defending deep and hunting counters and set pieces. The seven draws in the all-time series mostly come from games where that Pakistani game plan held for ninety minutes — results celebrated in Pakistan almost like wins.
Pakistan’s Famous Nights
Only two Pakistani victories exist in the 25-match series, and their rarity has made them folklore. They belong to an earlier era of the fixture, before India’s professional structures and Pakistan’s administrative collapse pulled the teams apart. Pakistani supporters invoke them the way cricket fans invoke specific World Cup nights — not as recent form, but as proof of possibility. A third win, whenever it comes, will instantly become the most famous night in Pakistan football history. Dhaka in November 2026 is the next chance.
2026: The Dhaka Rematch
The SAFF Championship 2026 draw, held on 1 August 2026 in Thimphu, Bhutan, put the neighbours together in Group B alongside Maldives. The tournament runs 4–17 November in Dhaka, Bangladesh — the 15th edition. Defending champions India, coached by Khalid Jamil, are chasing a record-extending tenth title. Pakistan arrive as the group’s underdogs, which is precisely when this fixture gets interesting: the full head-to-head record says India win; the derby says anything can happen. Our match-day guide has the fixture details, venue and what to watch for.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most famous India vs Pakistan football match?
The most recent — India’s 4-0 win in the SAFF Championship 2023 group stage in Bengaluru — because it was Pakistan’s return to tournament football after years of FIFA suspensions. Historically, Pakistan’s two victories are the most celebrated results on their side of the border.
Have India and Pakistan ever met in a SAFF final?
Their meetings have typically come in group stages and semi-finals rather than finals, with India usually progressing. Pakistan are still chasing a first SAFF Championship title.
Where will India vs Pakistan play next?
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, at the SAFF Championship 2026 (4–17 November 2026) — drawn together in Group B on 1 August 2026.
