The India U19 men’s team arrived in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, ahead of the SAFF U19 Championship 2025, scheduled to take place from May 9 to 18 at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia.
Mr 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. Tickets for the SAFF U19 Championship can be purchased on slotallot.in.
Hosts India will face Sri Lanka (May 9) and Nepal (May 13) in Group B. Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh are in Group A. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals that will be played on May 16. The final will take place on May 18.
