Bangladesh get Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan

The SAFF Football Championship will be held in September later this year.
The SAFF Football Championship will be held in September later this year.

Hosts Bangladesh have been drwan against Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan in Group A of the SAFF Football Championship to be held in September later this year.

Holders India, Maldives and Sri Lanka were put in Group B in the draw that took place at a city hotel on Wednesday. SAFF stands for South Asian Football Federation.

Afghanistan, the beaten finalists of the last edition that took place in 2015 and the winners in 2013, will not feature this year, as they are now under the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA).

The last time Bangladesh played in a semifinal was in 2009, also the last time they hosted the tournament. During the last three editions, Bangladesh failed to make it past the group stages.

Bangladesh's only success came in 2003 in Dhaka when they beat Maldives on penalties in the final.