Pakistan hold Bhutan in SAFF Futsal Women opener

Bangkok, Thailand: The 2026 SAFF Futsal Championship – Women’s event began with Pakistan being held 1-1 by Bhutan at the Nonthaburi Stadium yesterday, 13 January.

This was the Pakistan women’s futsal team playing their first ever international with much of the squad featuring a mixture of domestic and diaspora WNT footballers. Netherlands-based Kayanat Bokhari led as Pakistan women futsal captain against Bhutan who were also playing many of their women’s national team footballers in the 5v5 contest.

The game had plenty of chances for both sides, with Bhutan having most of the possession and Pakistan playing on the counter.

After a goalless 1st period, the game came alive when Kayanat Bokhari broke the deadlock with a shot that beat Bhutan goalkeeper Sangita Monger in the 23rd minute. However, a few moments later Yeshey Bidha equalized when her stunning strike from outside the box beat Pakistan goalkeeper Jennah Farooki.

Both teams chased the winner as the game concluded, with Jennah Farooki making plenty of good saves to keep it at 1-1 at the end. In the other women fixtures, India smashed Maldives 11-1 while Sri Lanka shared a 2-2 draw with Nepal.

The men’s fixtures begin today, 14 January, with Pakistan taking on Maldives with a 6:00pm PKT kickoff. The inaugural SAFF Futsal Championship with take place from 13-26 January 2026 in Thailand featuring both men’s and women’s fixtures on separate days. Each team will play 6 matches and the team with the most points at the end being crowned the winners.

Pakistan fixtures for the 2026 SAFF Futsal Championship are as follows:

Women’s: