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The South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) has invited Lebanon and Kuwait to take part in its 2023 championship held in Bangalore, in central India. This championship, commonly known as the SAFF Cup, began on Thursday, June 22 with the group phase, and is due to end on Tuesday, July 4 with the final. This international tournament is played in two groups of four teams each (eight nations in total). Lebanon has been drawn in Pool B with the Maldives, Bangladesh and Bhutan, while Pool A includes Kuwait, host country India, Nepal and Pakistan.
Lebanon opened the tournament against Bangladesh, beating them 2-0. On the same day, the Maldives beat Bhutan by the same score (2-0). In the other group, India beat Pakistan 4-0 and Kuwait defeated Nepal 3-1. On the second day of the first round, Lebanon recorded a second consecutive win (4-1), this time against Bhutan, meanwhile Bangladesh beat the Maldives 3-1. India also beat Nepal (2-0) and Kuwait crushed Pakistan (4-0).
The third and final day of the group phase will be played on Tuesday, June 27 and Wednesday, June 28. On Tuesday, Nepal will take on Pakistan, while India faces Kuwait. On Wednesday, Lebanon will take on the Maldives, while Bhutan meets Bangladesh. At the end of the first round, if two teams finish level on points, the decision of which teaam will qualify for the next round will be determined according to goal difference.
Only four teams can progress to the second round, where they will play in the semi-finals on Saturday, July 1. The final will take place on Tuesday, July 4. Lebanon (6 points) leads the way in Group B, followed by the Maldives and Bangladesh on equal points (3 pts each), with Bhutan finishing with zero points. Thus, barring any unforeseen setbacks, Lebanon is guaranteed a place in the semi-finals of the SAFF Cup. In Group A, Kuwait and India lead the way with 6 points each, while Nepal and Pakistan are both at the bottom of the table with zero points each.
