The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday announced the contract extension of Indian coach Igor Stimac for a period of two years till June 2026. The Croatian coach may stay on for two more years post-2026 if India makes it to round 3 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The AIFF announced the extension through a press conference attended by AIFF General Secretary Shaji Prabhakaran, Indian head coach Igor Stimac and Assistant head coach Mahesh Gawli. Mahesh is also the head coach of U-23 Indian team. The Indian coach answered a host of questions after the extension announcement. Here are the excerpts:
On contract extension
“I had a lengthy discussion with the officials of the federation for the last few days. I had certain demands. AIFF has promised me those demands will be taken care of. I also wanted long-term contracts for my coaching staff to show my appreciation towards them. The AIFF shared my enthusiasm and gave us what we wanted. I’ve extended my contract at the same salary I receive now. It is my dream is to make India play in the FIFA World Cup, something that has never been achieved before,” said Stimac.
On India’s chances to qualify for 2026 WC
“Our recent outings against the strong teams prove we have improved in every aspect of the field. I’m a positive person so I’ll say we are very hopeful about qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. We have been drawn into a strong group. But I believe it is possible for India to qualify to the 3rd round from this group. I have certain plans regarding the World Cup qualifiers. If I can execute those plans accordingly, I think we’ll be fine,” Stimac said.
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On Asian Games
Stimac said, “I saw the football matches of the Asian Games. From what I understand about football, we would have been medal contenders if we had a full-strength team. Quality wise, we aren’t very far from the medal winning teams. It is a pity we could not take our best players with us to China.”
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