Khalid Jamil announces India’s 28-member preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026

India head coach Khalid Jamil has named a 28-member preliminary squad for the Unity Cup 2026 in London. The Blue Tigers will hold a brief camp in Bengaluru before finalising 23 players to face Jamaica, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe

Hyderabad: Indian senior men’s national team head coach Khalid Jamil announcedon Thursday the 28-member preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026.

The Blue Tigers are set to assemble in Bengaluru for a brief camp after the completion of the Indian Super League 2025-26, before flying off to London on May 24 for the Unity Cup.

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India head coach Khalid Jamil will assess the players during the brief camp, before selecting the final squad of 23 that will travel to London for the Unity Cup.

Jamil said, “The Unity Cup will be the perfect opportunity for us to prepare for the official tournaments like the SAFF Championship later this year. We need to utilise every available FIFA International Window to prepare for the tournaments we have up ahead.

“We have selected the 28 players for the preliminary squad, as per their performances in the ongoing ISL. We will have a couple of days to assess them before we pick the final 23,” he said.

India (136th in FIFA rankings) will play Jamaica (ranked 71st) in the second semi-final on May 27 midnight (May 28 in IST), while Nigeria (ranked 26th) take on Zimbabwe (ranked 130th) in the first semi-final at the same time. The two losing teams will play the third-place play-off on June 30.

The India head coach feels that playing against stronger opposition will help boost the team.

“We are playing against strong teams that play at a good level. I think these matches will give a lot of confidence to the players and help us play at that level. We should play more matches like these,” said Jamil.

India’s 28-member preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith, Hrithik Tiwari, Albino Gomes.

Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh Naorem, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Pramveer.

Midfielders: Ashique Kuruniyan, Lalengmawia Ralte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Noufal PN, Ricky Shabong.

Forwards: Ryan Williams, Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Edmund Lalrindika, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rahim Ali, Farukh Choudhary.