Overview

• India captured the SAFF U17 championship in Colombo for a record seventh time, reinforcing dominance at South Asian youth level.
• The result gave head coach Bibiano Fernandes his fifth SAFF trophy and second U17 crown, adding to SAFF U15 titles in 2017 and 2019 and the U19 title in 2025.
• Fernandes stresses a process-first approach built on training that replicates real match chaos so actions become instinctive.
• He promotes positive risk-taking by allowing mistakes born of courageous attempts to execute the game plan.
• He frames regional trophies as steps in a talent pathway that feeds U23 and senior teams and aims to lift India’s standards on the global stage.