India to face Uruguay in Kolkata friendly as Forlán returns to city

India will meet Uruguay in a friendly in Kolkata on Tuesday, the third international clash between the nations and the latest test for the Blue Tigers under coach Khalid Jamil.

The sides have met twice before, with Uruguay winning both encounters: a 3–1 victory at the 1982 Nehru Cup at Eden Gardens in Kolkata — in which Manas Bhattacharjee scored for India — and a 3–0 win during the 2001 Millennium Super Soccer Cup in Kochi when Uruguay fielded a B team. The fixture also marks Uruguay’s return to Kolkata under Diego Forlán, who has prior links to Indian football from a six-month spell with Mumbai City FC in 2016.

Tuesday’s friendly completes an international window in which India faced Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, giving Jamil’s squad three opponents associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup within a fortnight. Forlán cited India’s display against Brazil, despite the 0–4 scoreline, as evidence that the hosts can cause problems if given time and space: “You could see some combinations, some long balls, some good players,” Forlán said. “If you give them time and space, they can damage you, and they can play well. So you have to respect everybody.”

Uruguay arrive with a number of established names available, including Darwin Núñez, Ronald Araújo, Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Torreira. The squad will be without Federico Valverde, who will miss the match because of a left-ankle injury, and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Sebastián Cáceres and Brian Rodríguez are also unavailable.

Forlán was appointed in August following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure after Uruguay’s group-stage exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His tenure began with a 1–3 defeat against Japan before Uruguay responded with a 4–1 win over Korea Republic in which Darwin Núñez scored twice. “There’s never an easy game in football,” Forlán said. “We will try to do our best and enjoy our game tomorrow against India.”

India head coach Khalid Jamil warned his players that Uruguay’s physical strength and tactical quality will demand a different response to what Brazil posed on Saturday. “As I said, they are physically strong, so we have to match them. Tactically also, they are good,” Jamil said in his pre-match press conference on Monday. He added: “Depending on the situation, we must act. If required to defend, we will defend. If it is required to attack, we will go for it.”

India will play Uruguay in Kolkata on Tuesday.