AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey discusses India hosting Brazil in October friendly in Kolkata
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey spoke to PTI about India hosting Brazil in an international friendly at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata on October 3, 2026, confirming the fixture and outlining the reasons behind arranging the high-profile match.
The Brazil Football Federation and the All India Football Federation have both confirmed the friendly, which pits India against five-time FIFA World Cup champions Brazil; the scheduled date overlaps with the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 and has prompted criticism and concerns about a possible Indian withdrawal and subsequent repercussions for AIFF’s relationship with FIFA. Chaubey framed the Brazil match as part of a broader push to secure more competitive international fixtures for India.
On the purpose of facing stronger teams, Chaubey said: "To develop the national team and improve our players, we must play stronger opponents. Unless you play stronger opponents, you will not improve." He also expressed gratitude to the visiting federation, saying: "I want to thank the President of the Brazilian Football Federation. I also want to thank everyone involved, as they collectively put in their best efforts and ensured that Brazil and India will play in India. We worked hard for it, and I’m very happy that everything went well."
Chaubey acknowledged the difficulty of organising high-level friendlies when India’s FIFA ranking is low and described the extra effort required to bring Brazil to Kolkata. He said: "No, it’s not easy. When, ranking-wise, you are not in a decent position, it is very difficult to convince a superior opponent to play against you. I have always believed in going the extra mile to show what India can offer to global football. We have the largest population in the world, a huge youth population, and there are several areas where India is already ahead. So, football cannot lag behind. Therefore, it took a little extra effort to ensure that we could bring a team like Brazil to play in India."
Reviewing India’s recent opponent profile, Chaubey noted that between 2016 and 2022 the national team faced Nepal five times, Afghanistan four times, Bangladesh three times and also played Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Macau, Laos and Hong Kong, arguing those repetitions limited development against tougher sides. He added that in the last three years India played Australia in the AFC Asian Cup, took part in the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia, faced Iran and competed in CAFA for the first time, and cited the SAFF Championship record: "If you see the last ten editions of the SAFF Championship, India won nine times."
Chaubey described measures taken to raise competitive standards, saying he invited Lebanon and Kuwait to play in the SAFF Championship and noting the national team "eventually won that SAFF Cup." He reiterated the federation’s aim to arrange more internationals: "For the last couple of years, I have been trying to bring top-ranked teams in Asia to play FIFA international friendlies against India, but somehow that could not be successful. I tried with Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. However, I am very happy that after long efforts, we have finally managed to get Brazil, who are five-time world champions and currently among the top five in the FIFA Rankings, to play in Kolkata."
On forthcoming fixtures and the developmental rationale, Chaubey said: "India will be playing New Zealand in the November international window, and India will also play Brazil before that. I think the more we play better opponents, the better it is for us." He concluded: "With the support of other football federations, the more international friendlies we can arrange, the better it will be for us. We may not win all those matches, but there will always be room for improvement. So, I think playing a match against Brazil is about understanding your strengths, identifying the areas where you need to improve, developing your football further, and, of course, taking Indian football to new heights," Kalyan Chaubey concluded with.
India will play Brazil on 3rd October at the VYBK Stadium, Kolkata.