Nepal face a tough task in the group stage of the 11th Saff Championship after being grouped against heavyweights India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka during a draw in New Delhi today.

The draw that concluded this afternoon has defending Champions Afghanistan drawn against Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh in the other group of the championship to be held in India from December 23.

Nepal will begin their campaign against Sri Lanka on December 23 before playing Pakistan two days later. The match against arch rivals India will be played on December 27. The final will be played on January 3, 2016.

Nepal had defeated India 2-1 on the final group match on the earlier version of the competition held at Kathmandu. They, however, were undone by Afghanistan in the semis where they lost 1-0.

The senior side has not won a single match or scored any goals after winning that match against India. Their last match was a dull stalemate against India.

Nepal has also never made it to the final of the competition.

The championship has been rebranded as SAFF Suzuki Cup from this year.