India to face Panama in Bengaluru friendly on September 25 with Ryan Williams set to lead attack

The Indian football team will begin the September-October international window with an international friendly against Panama at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, September 25, with Ryan Williams expected to spearhead the attack for the Blue Tigers.

Panama arrive ranked 44th in the FIFA rankings and were one of the 48 teams at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they lost group games to Ghana, Croatia and England and finished bottom of their group; India will meet tougher opponents in Brazil and Uruguay in the coming days.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has reclaimed the role of first-choice goalkeeper under head coach Khalid Jamil, having started in the Unity Cup and the May/June friendlies against Tajikistan, and is expected to continue in goal against Panama; the 24-year-old started all 13 Indian Super League games for Mumbai City last season, claiming 2 assists and helping his side keep seven clean sheets.

At the back, Akash Mishra has consolidated his place in the starting XI under Jamil while Sandesh Jhingan’s omission from the squad has increased the responsibility on centre-back Anwar Ali; the 26-year-old has been strong defensively in recent seasons and has also contributed goals for East Bengal, and he made his international debut earlier this year in the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong.

Bijoy Varghese, who featured in both friendlies against Tajikistan in June, is likely to fill the vacancy left by Jhingan; the Punjab FC player made 12 ISL starts last season and recorded 120 defensive contributions for his club.

Abhishek Singh Tekcham has been in and out of the national setup since his debut in 2025 largely due to injuries, has four international appearances, and has broken into the Mohun Bagan starting XI, giving him an opportunity to stake a claim at right-back.

In midfield and wide areas, Ashique returned to Bengaluru FC before the 2025-26 season and scored 3 goals in 10 league games while amassing 42 appearances for India, Anirudh Thapa (28) is the most experienced midfielder in the squad with 59 caps though his last appearance came in September 2024 against Mauritius, and Apuia (25) has developed into a regular for Mohun Bagan and the national team; Vikram Partap Singh has 14 caps, opened his international goal tally in the 1-1 draw with Tajikistan in June, and has 20 goals and 7 assists in 133 games for Mumbai City.

Up front, Manvir Singh is the senior attacking option with 49 appearances for India, and Ryan Williams, a Bengaluru FC favourite, will play his first match in the Indian kit at Sree Kanteerava; Williams is 32, has 17 goals and 6 assists in 59 games for BFC, and opened his account for India in the 2-1 win against Hong Kong in March.

Khalid Jamil is the head coach of India, and the national team’s immediate schedule includes the friendly with Panama followed by fixtures against Brazil and Uruguay during the September-October international window.