The 11th edition of South Asian Football Federation Championships begins today in Thiruvananthapuram. Nepal will take on Sri Lanka in the opening match at the Kariavattom Greenfield Stadium. India will take on Sri Lanka on December 25 in their campaign opener. The competition has been reduced to a seven-team affair after Pakistan's late pull-out. The Group A now comprises just three teams — India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Group B has defending champions Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Bhutan. Two teams from each of the two groups will make it to the semifinals. Afghanistan, who beat India 2-0 in the final of the last edition in Kathmandu, will be playing in the SAFF Championships for the last time before joining the soon-to-be-created Central Asian Football Association. India have won the tournament six times.