Indian and Pakistani authorities have announced the acceptance of visas for Pakistani players to travel to India. They will face each other on Wednesday at the opening of the South Asian Championships, which will be held from 21 June to 4 July in Bangalore.

The two rival nations rarely play against each other at home, due to political tensions. In 2018, attacks in Bombay left over 160 people dead and reignited the conflict between the two populations.

“As dedicated sports people, we understand the power of sport to transcend political boundaries and forge strong ties between nations”, Pakistan captain Yousaf Butt told AFP. He was speaking from Mauritius, where Pakistan was taking part in the preparatory competition. “We will achieve a performance worthy of the name […]and off the field, we will try to win hearts to defuse the tension.convinced the 33-year-old goalkeeper.

Pakistan’s 32 players will receive their visas on Monday, at the end of the day, assured AFP. The last time Pakistan played football in India was in 2014 (two draws against India). The two teams also faced each other in the 2018 South Asian Championships in Bangladesh (India won 3-1). Although football is popular in both countries, it lags far behind cricket.

The South Asian Championships, which span eight countries, kick off on Wednesday. Pakistan and India are in Group A, along with Kuwait and Nepal. Group B consists of Lebanon, Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh.