Indian Football Team

Head coach Manolo Marquez will seek his first win with Team India in an international friendly against Vietnam here on Saturday which was originally planned as a Tri-Nation tournament before Lebanon's withdrawal. Lebanon pulled out, citing difficulties in flying out of the country due to the ongoing crisis at home. The tournament was planned in the FIFA international match window from October 7-15. Originally, India were scheduled to play against Vietnam on October 9 and Lebanon on October 12 in the tournament at the Thien Truong Stadium here, around 100 km from Hanoi. In In Marquez's two matches as head coach so far, India drew against Mauritius and lost 0-3 to Syria in the Intercontinental Cup in Hyderabad last month as the Spaniard will be eager to log his first victory on Saturday. Ranked 116th, Vietnam are 10 spots higher than India (126th) in the FIFA rankings. The two teams have faced each other three times since the start of the current century. In 2004, Vietnam defeated

Hosts India and Syria will go head to head in the winner-takes-it-all third and final game of the Intercontinental Cup trophy here on Monday. India, who began the competition with a goalless draw against Mauritius on Tuesday, are eyeing their second consecutive Intercontinental Cup triumph, and third overall. Syria beat Mauritius 2-0 on Friday, which means they hold a slight advantage heading into the final game as the Eagles of Qasioun require only a draw to claim the trophy. Syria have a long history of playing tournaments in India, but the title has always evaded them. The West Asians lost back-to-back Nehru Cup finals to India in 2007 and 2009 before finishing fourth in 2012. In their last trip to India in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, Syria ended in third place. But for the Blue Tigers to deny them a first silverware on Indian soil, they will need to end a winless streak stretching back to November last year. "It will be a difficult game for both sides. It's a friendly game,

Stimac reacted to the sudden announcement by saying that he would sue AIFF if he did not receive his full compensation within 10 days of sacking

The FIFA World Cup 2026 second round qualifier saw a controversial goal by Qatar's Yousef Aymen in the 73rd minute, which the Indian team contested as the ball had gone out of play

Poor refereeing robbed India of a chance to secure a historic entry into the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers as Asian champions Qatar rode on a controversial goal to emerge 2-1 winners here on Tuesday. India were ahead thanks to Lallianzuala Chhangte's 37th minute goal but disaster struck when the referee adjudged Yousef Aymen's 73rd minute equaliser as fair after the ball appeared to have gone out of play. The controversial decision turned the game on its head as Qatar scored their second through Ahmed Al-Rawi in the 85th minute. This was after the Indians came within touching distance of scripting history after going 1-0 at half time, with Kuwait and Afghanistan goalless in the day's other match. But the Indian dream lay shattered in a space of few minutes in the second half courtesy the controversial goal by Aymen and the ensuing strike by Al-Rawi. Meanwhile, Eid Al-Rashidi struck the winner for Kuwait in the 81st minute. Qatar and Kuwait thus progressed to the sec

The India vs Qatar football match will begin at 9:15 PM IST today. Fans can watch the live streaming of IND vs QAT football on the Fan Code app.

The influential Sunil Chhetri's absence will be a difficult void to fill as the Indian football team enters a testing transition phase with a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying match against heavyweights Qatar here on Tuesday. The 39-year-old Chhetri called time on his glorious international career by playing in last week's fixture against Kuwait in Kolkata, which ended in a goal-less draw as the team failed to give him a fitting farewell. Chhetri ended with 94 goals in 151 matches, having led the country with aplomb for more than a decade. The Indian team will be led by the 32-year-old first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who has so far appeared in 72 internationals and is the most experienced player in the 23-member squad after Chhetri's retirement. An acid test awaits India as they run into two-time Asian champions Qatar at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, knowing well that a defeat will end their campaign and dash all hopes of securing a maiden entry into the third round

In his last appearance for India, the 'captain, leader, legend' Sunil Chhetri couldn't score and neither could India and Kuwait with the match ending 0-0, India's chances of qualification diminishing

Sunil Chhetri represented India in 146 matches during his illustrious career of 20 years, and most 94 goals for India

In the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier, India vs Kuwait live match will begin at 7:00 PM IST today at Salt Lake Stadium. IND vs KUW match is also Sunil Chhetri's final match in international football

Playing for the City Club in Delhi at 18, Chhetri scored in one of the four games in the Durand Cup 2001-02 and made it to the top five promising players of the tournament

The tidal shift in the football fandom of the national team can be credited to one man in particular and that is Sunil Chhetri

Approaching his international retirement, Indian football talisman Sunil Chhetri on Wednesday said he remains indebted to his teammates, and the sport, for helping him become one of the country's greatest players. The Indian team arrived in the city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6, which will be the 39-year-old Chhetri's final outing in the blue jersey. All eyes were on the goal-machine as the players exited the airport. "These last few days, I've been caught in a bit of a dilemma. Now that there's a number to my days with the national team, what's the right route to take - do I count every day, every training session? Or do I simply turn up without the thought of how this is coming to an end?," said Chhetri. Chhetri, who has scored 94 goals from 150 international appearances, said he is counting his blessings every day. "Over time, I seemed to have found middle ground. They say, count your blessings. And every single day I get to be on the pitch is

Central midfielder Anirudh Thapa knows that a win for India in their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kuwait will be massive for the country's football landscape and he is confident of putting the best foot forward. The game, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, will also mark the legendary Sunil Chhetri's farewell from international football after a glorious 19-year career. "It is an important match for all of us, and especially for Sunil bhai. We need to make sure that we qualify for the third round because that would be huge for Indian football and the fans," Thapa told the All India Football Federation's website. "We're playing at the Salt Lake and the stadium will be fully packed. We all know how crazy the fans are and how much they love football there. We will give our best for the nation. We need to be at our best to get those three points," he added. India, who need to win their last two matches in the qualifiers against Kuwait (home) on June 6 and Qatar (away) on

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Indian men's football team head coach Igor Stimac has named a 27-member squad for next month's FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait with forward Parthib Gogoi and defender Muhammad Hammad missing out due to injuries. A total of 32 players had been camping in Bhubaneswar, out of which five -- Phurba Lachenpa, Parthib, Imran Khan, Hammad and Jithin MS -- have been released from the camp. "All of them were very professional and hard-working. The competition is really strong amongst them, especially in the positions of Jithin and Parthib," Stimac said in a media release. "Parthib and Hammad suffered minor injuries a few days back and will need 7-14 days of rest," he added. The remaining players will continue to train in Bhubaneswar until May 29 when they will travel to Kolkata. The Blue Tigers will face Kuwait at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on June 6, which will be talismanic Sunil Chhetri's swansong. Following the match against Kuwait, India will travel to take on Qata

Sunil Chhetri ranks third among active players in the list of international goal scorers, trailing behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

India will take on Afghanistan at Khamis Mushait Stadium in Saudi Arabia at 12:30 AM IST on Friday, March 22, 2024. The match will be telecast live on DD Sports and can be live-streamed on Fancode

The results against Kuwait and Qatar in June will be the real indicator of the Indian football team's prospects of making a maiden appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, head coach Igor Stimac said on Wednesday. India will take on lower-ranked Afghanistan in their second round qualifying match here on Thursday, and a win in the hill town will only brighten their chances of progressing to the third round, something the Blue Tigers have never achieved. "Each game is important from the aspect of self-confidence and rankings. But our priority and the final goal is to qualify for Round 3. There are various options to get there and obviously, nothing will be decided in the next two games. The matches in June against Kuwait and Qatar will tell us everything," Stimac said. This will be the fourth time in five years that India will face Afghanistan in an official match. The two meetings in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2019 and 2021 ended 1-1 each, while India ran out

Bolstered by the return of Jeakson Singh and Anwar Ali, the Indian football team will renew its quest for a maiden entry into the third round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers when it faces a weakened Afghanistan here on Thursday. With mid-field general Jeakson and centre-back Anwar back in the line-up after long injury layoffs, because of which India suffered in recent past, the Blue Tigers will fancy their chances against the lower-ranked opponents in the second-round preliminary joint qualification match. With three points and one win from two matches, India currently occupy the second place in the Group A pecking order. Reigning Asian champions Qatar lead the standings with six points from two wins, while Kuwait are second with one win. Having lost both their games so far, Afghanistan are placed last. India's away win against Kuwait has put Igor Stimac's team in a strong position to progress further in the qualification cycle, something the 117-ranked side has never achieved. Victo