International football in Shillong: Indian men’s team to play two matches in March

The announcement came just a few days after the same venue hosted NorthEast United's home match of the Indian Super League (ISL), the first in Meghalaya, against Mumbai City on February 7

New Delhi: Shillong’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host the Indian senior men’s national team’s two matches that they will play during the FIFA international window in March, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Tuesday.

The announcement came just a few days after the same venue hosted NorthEast United’s home match of the Indian Super League (ISL), the first in Meghalaya, against Mumbai City on February 7. “This is the first time that JLN Shillong will (host) senior men’s international matches after the stadium was refurbished last year,” the AIFF said in a release.

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“The 15,100-seater arena has hosted matches in domestic tournaments and leagues, like the Durand Cup, Indian Super League, I-League, I-League 2nd Division among others.” In the first match, India will play against Maldives on March 19 in an international friendly as part of preparations for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round campaign.

The second match will be against Bangladesh on March 25, India’s first game of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round. India have been drawn in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round, along with Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangladesh.

The teams will play each other twice in a home-and-away round-robin format till March 2026. The group winners will make it to the Asian Cup tournament proper.