Uruguay to face India in FIFA friendly at Kolkata's VYBK on October 6, 2026
Uruguay will play India in a FIFA international friendly at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The match is the final friendly for both nations in the current international window.
La Celeste arrive off a 4-1 victory over South Korea at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in their previous fixture, with Darwin Núñez scoring twice and Giorgian de Arrascaeta also on the scoresheet; that result was Uruguay’s first win in their last five matches across all competitions. Diego Forlan, the new head coach, will seek another positive result on the road, while India come into the game after a 0-4 defeat by Brazil.
Christopher Fiermarin appears to be Forlan’s first-choice goalkeeper at present, but the friendly offers a chance for backup Santiago Mele to earn minutes; Mele played 90 minutes in the loss against Japan on September 24. Guillermo Varela completed the full 90 against South Korea, yet Forlan is likely to hand Villarreal full-back Santiago Mouriño an appearance in Kolkata.
Ronald Araújo, having returned to full fitness after moving to Liverpool, is expected to captain Uruguay after playing the entire match versus South Korea. Napoli left-back Mathías Olivera sustained an injury after that game and has withdrawn from the squad, opening the path for 21-year-old Juan Rodríguez to make his first start under Forlan after two bench appearances; Rodríguez is noted for his aerial ability, positional awareness and passing.
Palmeiras full-back Joaquín Piquerez has established himself as Forlan’s preferred left-sided defender and was solid against South Korea; he will be tasked with handling threats such as Ryan Williams and contributing with his pace and crossing going forward. In midfield, Lucas Torreira is set to dictate tempo for Uruguay after controlling proceedings against South Korea, while Rodrigo Bentancur has played the bulk of minutes in the last two friendlies and will operate alongside him.
Across the front line, Facundo Pellistri could replace Brian Rodriguez in the starting XI—Rodriguez played the full match versus South Korea whereas Pellistri featured for six minutes against Japan—and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who scored and assisted in Seoul, will link midfield and attack. Sporting CP full-back Maxi Araújo is likely to continue on the wing after recording one goal and one assist in Uruguay’s last two internationals, and Darwin Núñez, the focal point up front, has two goals in the win over South Korea and three goals in five matches for Al-Diriyah.
The friendly in Kolkata on October 6 will provide Forlan an opportunity to finalise optioning across his squad, with Darwin Núñez expected to spearhead Uruguay’s attack against India.