Churchill Brothers v Mumbai City FC preview: ISL 2026-27 team news and lineups
Churchill Brothers will host Mumbai City FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, on October 11, 2026, in the fourth match of the Indian Super League 2026-27 opening matchweek; kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM IST. The fixture pairs ISL debutants Churchill Brothers with former champions Mumbai City FC in what is billed as a key match of the opening round.
Churchill Brothers are making their first-ever appearance in the Indian Super League and will play the fixture in front of home supporters in Goa after signing several new players; head coach Dimitris Dimitriou will oversee their ISL debut. Mumbai City FC have replaced Petr Kratky with Manolo Marquez as head coach and reshaped parts of their squad, with the departures of Chhangte, Ortiz and Lachenpa followed by arrivals including Carlos Delgado, Sergio Llamas and Lazar Ćirković. The club also publicised the arrival of Farukh Choudhary with the social post: "Farukh Bhai is back in his hometown! 😍Back where it all began. Time to get to work with #TheIslanders 💪#MumbaiCity #AamchiCity 🔵 pic.twitter.com/qucjBZm0U3"
Churchill Brothers returned to the top tier after Tata group transferred their ISL licence to the Red Machines, allowing the club to resume participation in the competition. The Red Machines retained and brought back a core group of players and coaches who were involved when they were provisional champions of the ISL 2024-25 season, and Dimitris Dimitriou remains in charge.
Churchill's foreign contingent is listed as Alexandre Primael Yeoule, Dramane Salou, Sebastián Gutiérrez, John Okoli and Wayde Lekay, while Indian arrivals cited by the club include Kingslee Fernandes, Vincy Barretto, Trijoy Dias and Gaurav Bora. Those names make up the nucleus of the Goan club’s squad as they enter the ISL for the first time.
Mumbai City were in title contention until the final matchday last season and have undergone structural change after parting ways with City Football Group. The Islanders signed Manolo Marquez from FC Goa and have built a squad featuring Indian players such as Vikram Partap, Farukh Choudhary and Brandon Fernandes; defenders and goalkeeping options referenced include Akash Mishra, TP Rehenesh, Valpuia and Sahil Panwar, who are expected to shoulder responsibility for keeping clean sheets.
Both teams are expected to present fully fit squads for the season opener. Projected starting lineups published ahead of the match read:
Vikram Singh (GK); Lalbiakhlua, Gaurav Bora, Jose Luis Moreno, Lalremruata; Dramane Salou, Kingslee Fernandes; Vincy Barretto, Sebastián Gutiérrez, Trijoy Dias; Wayde Lekay
TP Rehenesh (GK); Valpuia, Bijay Chhetri, Carlos Delgado, Akash Mishra; Lazar Ćirković, Sergio Llamas; Vikram Partap, Brandon Fernandes, Farukh Choudhary; Wilmar Jordán Gil
South African striker Wayde Lekay was a deadline-day signing for Churchill Brothers and produced a notable maiden season in India, "scoring a lot of goals, clocking an average of more than a goal every two games," according to the club summary; his formative years were spent with TS Galaxy and Steenberg United in South Africa before a move to Sweden with FC Trollhättan, and he is described as a 187 centimetres tall aerial presence that Churchill successfully brought back despite interest from Basundhara Kings. Farukh Choudhary joined Mumbai City from Chennaiyin FC and had been part of Khalid Jamil’s squad in the FIFA international window against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay; he previously played for Kerala Blasters and Jamshedpur FC and is expected to operate on the left wing to provide runs and chances for Jordan Gil upfront.
The match is scheduled for October 11, 2026, at the Fatorda Stadium with a 7:30 PM IST kickoff, and will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD with free digital streaming available on YouTube.