Three newcomers named in India squad for September-October FIFA friendlies
India coach Khalid Jamil has named a 26-player squad for the September-October FIFA match window that opens with a friendly against Panama on 26 September 2026 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru and includes fixtures against Brazil and Uruguay in early October. The Blue Tigers will meet Brazil on 3 October and Uruguay on 6 October at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
The All India Football Federation withdrew from the ASEAN Cup because of a scheduling conflict with the Brazil fixture, citing the value of facing a five-time World Cup champion as high-level experience and an opportunity for introspection. The three opponents—Panama, Brazil and Uruguay—recently featured at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and Panama are listed as 44th in the source material. Khalid Jamil’s 26-player group omits senior names such as Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan and Lallianzuala Chhangte.
One of the new call-ups is 21-year-old goalkeeper Som Kumar, a former Kerala Blasters FC player now at ND Slovan Ljubljana in the Slovenian second division. Som made 17 appearances for ND Slovan Ljubljana, totaling 1,521 minutes, kept two clean sheets, registered 61 saves and posted a 65.4% save percentage as his club sits third in the league table. He had been in the probables for the India squad for the Unity Cup earlier this year but did not make the final list; the article notes he chose game time in Slovenia over a lucrative offer from Kerala Blasters. Som joins Albino Gomes, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Prabhsukhan Singh Gill in the goalkeeping contingent and, the source says, could feature in the friendlies if he impresses in camp.
Right-back Ricky Meetei Haobam is another newcomer and is included among a defensive group that also features Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bijoy Varghese, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Jay Gupta and Pramveer. Ricky, listed as part of Bengaluru FC’s squad, made seven Indian Super League appearances this past campaign for a total of 353 minutes and recorded an 85.9% passing accuracy. The piece describes him as having produced a strong number of tackles, clearances and interceptions at club level and notes he has represented India at U23 level.
The third highlighted debutant is 22-year-old Mohammed Sanan, a former Jamshedpur FC midfielder who amassed 57 appearances and seven goals for the club. Sanan is named alongside midfielders Anirudh Thapa, Ashique, Farukh Choudhary, Lalengmawia Ralte, Macarton, Ricky Shabong and Sahal Abdul Samad; the article records prior senior call-ups for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh, the Unity Cup and Tajikistan friendlies but limited game time on those occasions. The report describes Sanan’s club attributes as the ability to take on defenders, deliver dangerous crosses, execute quick interchanges, drive transitions higher up the pitch and operate with close control and commendable passing accuracy in tight spaces.
India’s window begins with a first-ever meeting against Panama at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on 26 September 2026, followed by the Brazil fixture on 3 October and the Uruguay game on 6 October at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. The three new faces highlighted in the squad are Som Kumar, Ricky Meetei Haobam and Mohammed Sanan.