Indian Futsal Team to play two friendlies in Beirut ahead of AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

The Indian men's Futsal team will play two friendlies against Lebanon in Beirut as part of their preparation for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, set to begin later this month

Hyderabad: The Indian men’s Futsal team will play two friendly matches against Lebanon in Beirut on September 13 and 15 as part of their preparations for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, scheduled for later this month.

Led by Iranian Head Coach Reza Kordi, the Futsal Tigers held a 20-day camp in Bengaluru after the conclusion of the AIFF Futsal Club Championship last month. India, ranked 135th in the world, arrived in the Lebanese capital on Friday and will play the first friendly against the 54th-ranked hosts on Saturday at the Al Sadaka Sporting Complex at 21:30 IST.

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After the two friendlies, India will travel from Lebanon to Kuwait for the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, where they will face the hosts on September 20, Australia on September 22, and Mongolia on September 24, in Group A. The group winners and the seven best runners-up across all eight groups will qualify for the final tournament in Indonesia next year. This will be the Futsal Tigers’ second attempt to qualify for the Asian Cup after the 2024 qualifiers.

The team:

Goalkeepers: Aleef Rahman Mollah, Ozen Vivian Silva, Vishal Dube

Fixo: Aman Navalkumar Shah, Lalsangkima

Ala: Anmol Adhikari, Bijoy Gusai, K Roluahpuia, Seaon D’souza

Pivot: David Laltlansanga, Fredsan Marshall, Jonathan Lalrawngbawla, Mahip Adhikari, Nikhil Mali

Head Coach: Reza Kordi

Assistant Coach: Hassan Khodabandehloo bin Abolfazl

Goalkeeping Coach: Veerababu Sivaneni