Indian Football Team head coach Igor Stimac revealed a list of 28 probables for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. India is in Group A of the Asian qualifying tournament, alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.
The Blue Tigers will face Kuwait in their first Group A match on November 16 at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, before coming home to face Qatar at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, November 21 at 19:00 IST. India will go to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on November 8 for a pre-qualifier camp.
Anwar Ali and Jeakson Singh will be absent from the Indian football team. With the young duo incurring injuries that will keep them off for an extended period. Anwar Ali suffered an ankle injury, while Jeakson suffered a shoulder injury. Ashique Kuruniyan, who sustained an ACL injury earlier this year, will also be unavailable for India.
Apuia and Vikram Pratap Singh of Mumbai City FC, on the other hand, have been included to the likely squad. While Vikram has yet to make his debut, Apuia will make his first appearance since the Intercontinental Cup. Apuia was alleged to have disagreed with the India chief. That, however, appears to have come to an end.
Indian Football Team 28 men probable squad:
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Roshan Singh Naorem, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Glan Peter Martins, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nandhakumar Sekar, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh Kumam.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.
