“Very Important Window”: Khalid Jamil on India’s Tough Brazil, Uruguay, Panama Tests in FIFA Friendlies

New Delhi, September 1: India is set to face higher-ranked opposition during the September-October Window of the FIFA World Cup. The Blue Tigers will be facing the higher-ranked Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay, who are coming after playing in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Speaking about the upcoming window, Indian head coach Khalid 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 men will start their preparations against the FIFA Men's International Friendlies from September 14 in Bengaluru.

FIFA Men's International Friendlies: India's 26-member Squad

• 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

Reserve Players:

Four players have been named as reserves:

• Hrithik Tiwari (Goalkeeper)
• Chinglensana Singh Konsham and Roshan Singh Naorem (Defenders)
• Suresh Singh Wangjam (Midfielder)

FIFA Men's International Friendlies: 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)