India announce 26-member squad for FIFA friendlies

India head coach Khalid Jamil has announced a 26-member squad for the September-October FIFA International Match Window, where the Blue Tigers will face Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay in high-profile friendlies at Bengaluru and Kolkata.

Hyderabad: Indian men’s national team head coach Khalid Jamil named his 26-player squad for the September-October FIFA International Match Window on Monday, August 31, 2026.

The Blue Tigers will play three international friendlies against higher-ranked opposition, facing Panama on September 26 in Bengaluru before taking on five-time world champions Brazil on October 3 and two-time world champions Uruguay on October 6, both in Kolkata.

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The three matches will provide India with valuable opportunities to test themselves against World Cup opposition, with all three nations having featured at the FIFA World Cup held earlier this year.

Jamil said, “This is a very important window for us, with three challenging matches against teams that have played at the World Cup. Playing Brazil and Uruguay in Kolkata, after facing Panama in Bengaluru, will give the players valuable experience at the international level. We will use the camp in Bengaluru to prepare well and approach each match with the right attitude and intensity.”

Jamil’s side will begin their preparatory camp on September 14 in Bengaluru. After the match against Panama, the Blue Tigers will travel to Kolkata on September 28 for their remaining two fixtures.

India’s 26-player squad for the September-October FIFA men’s international friendlies:

Goalkeepers: Albino Gomes, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Som Kumar.

Defenders: Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bijoy Varghese, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Jay Gupta, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam.

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Farukh Choudhary, Lalengmawia Ralte, Macarton Nickson, Mohammed Sanan, Ricky Shabong, Sahal Abdul Samad.

Forwards: Edmund Lalrindika, Irfan Yadwad, Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Ryan Williams, Vikram Partap Singh.

Head coach: Khalid Jamil

Four players have been named as reserves — goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari, defenders Chinglensana Singh Konsham and Roshan Singh Naorem, and midfielder Suresh Singh Wangjam — and may be called up to the squad if required.

Indian men’s national team’s schedule:

September 26: India vs Panama (Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru)

October 3: India vs Brazil (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata)

October 6: India vs Uruguay (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata).