Hosts Bangladesh have now reached the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship 2026 after Bhutan and Sri Lanka played out a 2-2 draw at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday 8 November.

The result sent Bangladesh directly into the last four, the seventh time the hosts have reached the semi-final stage of the regional championship. It also ended Bhutan's Group A campaign with a single point from their matches.

Bhutan took the lead in the 34th minute through Dawa Tshering, but Sri Lanka levelled within a minute when Oliver Kelaart fired home. Wasim Razeek's header in the 43rd minute then put Sri Lanka 2-1 ahead at the break.

Bhutan had a chance to draw level from the penalty spot in the 68th minute, but Chencho missed. He made amends eight minutes later, scoring in the 76th minute to make it 2-2 and complete an eventful contest.

The draw keeps Sri Lanka on course as well. They need only one point from their match against Bangladesh on 11 November to secure their own place in the semi-finals, while Bangladesh must win that game by at least two goals to knock Sri Lanka out and advance as group winners.

Bangladesh coach Thomas Dooley watched both of Sunday's matches from the stands with his players after their morning training session, studying Sri Lanka's style, strengths and weaknesses ahead of the meeting on 11 November. Sheikh Morsalin trained fully on Sunday, while defender Tapu Barman continued his recovery from injury under a physiotherapist.

The draw followed Pakistan's 3-0 win over Maldives in the day's other Group B match in Dhaka, a result that revived Pakistan's hopes of reaching the semi-finals after their opening defeat to India.

For Bhutan, the draw kept only a faint hope alive: they must now rely on the outcome of the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match, having finished their own group campaign with a single point. Dooley has meanwhile focused Bangladesh's preparations on defending late in games, after the hosts conceded 52 goals across 46 matches in the past 13 SAFF Championships, 18 of them after the 70th minute. Attendance at the National Stadium was low on Sunday despite a 50 percent ticket discount for both matches.

Bangladesh will now prepare for the decisive group match against Sri Lanka knowing that a place in the last four is already secure, but that the margin of victory will decide who tops the group.