Page 3 - Indian Football Team

Udanta in, Brandon out: India announces squad change for Bangladesh tie

Key mid-fielder Brandon Fernandes has been released from the Indian team due to an injury ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match against Bangladesh here on March 25. Winger Udanta Singh has replaced him in the squad. Fernandes picked up the injury during India's 3-0 win over Maldives in an international friendly match on March 19. He slipped on the turf late in the first half and was stretchered out of the field. "Brandon Fernandes has been released from the Indian squad due to an injury he picked up in the match against Maldives. Udanta Singh has joined the Indian camp in Shillong," the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Friday. Speaking after the Maldives game, head coach Manolo Marquez had confirmed that Fernandes would not be available for the Bangladesh match. India are already without striker Manvir Singh and pacy winger Lallianzuala Chhangte, both due to injury, though the talismanic Sunil Chhetri came out of international retirement to help the te

Chhetri scores 95th international goal in comeback match after retirement

Chhetri scored his 95th goal for India against Maldives. Check full list of international goals scored by Chhetri.

India vs Maldives HIGHLIGHTS: Sunil Chhetri scores as India beat Maldives 3-0 in Shillong

Sunil Chhetri scores his 95th career international goal on his return to the national side as India got themselves a long awaited win under Manaolo Marquez.

India vs Maldives football live match time, venue and live streaming

The most recent encounter between the two sides saw India secure a comfortable 3-1 victory against Maldives. The live streaming of the India vs Maldives clash will be available on JioHotstar app.

India vs Maldives Preview: All eyes on Chhetri's return before Qualifier

The returning Sunil Chhetri will be the cynosure of all eyes as India face Maldives in an international friendly here on Wednesday, the match serving as a dress rehearsal for the all-important AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh at the same venue in less than a week's time. The 40-year-old Chhetri came out of his international retirement earlier this month to help the team successfully navigate the qualifiers for the continent's top football tournament, starting with the March 25 clash. The preparatory match for Manolo Marquez's side marks a historic moment as the Blue Tigers will play in the football-crazy hill town for the first time. It will also be India's all-time top scorer Chhetri's first match since announcing his return to international football. In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Marquez said, "It is the first time we are playing here, but I have worked with a lot of coaches and players from here. I knew it's a very nice place. "I remember when I watche

When will Sunil Chhetri play for India in AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers?

India will face the Maldives in a friendly match on March 19, followed by a crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying match against Bangladesh on March 25.

Clinical skipper Sunil Chhetri returns to inspire the Indian football team

Chettri's leadership was pivotal in India's historic qualification for the AFC Asian Cup in 2011, a feat that hadn't been achieved in 27 years.

Xaxa, Lynda lead India's 14-0 rout of Maldives in football friendly

Player of the Match Lynda Kom Serto scored four goals on debut while Pyari Xaxa struck a hat-trick in a span of just eight minutes as the Indian women's football team hammered Maldives 14-0 in an international friendly here on Monday. The demolition meant India's newly-appointed Swedish coach, Joakim Alexandersson, began his stint on a rousing note. Xaxa found the back of the net in the seventh, eighth, and 15th minutes, and in between assisted Lynda in the 12th in what turned out to be a goal fest for the home team at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence. Lynda was on target in the 12th, 21st, 29th and 52nd minute in a completely lop-sided match. The game faced a brief interruption after a linesman was attacked by bees and he was running across the pitch, forcing the players to take cover. The incident took place in the final minute before half-time, and the match restarted after 15 minutes. Neha too marked her debut with a brace, scoring in the 16th and 45th minute,

Head coach Manolo Marquez aims for his first win in India-Vietnam friendly

Head coach Manolo Marquez will seek his first win with Team India in an international friendly against Vietnam here on Saturday which was originally planned as a Tri-Nation tournament before Lebanon's withdrawal. Lebanon pulled out, citing difficulties in flying out of the country due to the ongoing crisis at home. The tournament was planned in the FIFA international match window from October 7-15. Originally, India were scheduled to play against Vietnam on October 9 and Lebanon on October 12 in the tournament at the Thien Truong Stadium here, around 100 km from Hanoi. In In Marquez's two matches as head coach so far, India drew against Mauritius and lost 0-3 to Syria in the Intercontinental Cup in Hyderabad last month as the Spaniard will be eager to log his first victory on Saturday. Ranked 116th, Vietnam are 10 spots higher than India (126th) in the FIFA rankings. The two teams have faced each other three times since the start of the current century. In 2004, Vietnam defeated

Intercontinental Cup: India to face Syria in winner takes all match

Hosts India and Syria will go head to head in the winner-takes-it-all third and final game of the Intercontinental Cup trophy here on Monday. India, who began the competition with a goalless draw against Mauritius on Tuesday, are eyeing their second consecutive Intercontinental Cup triumph, and third overall. Syria beat Mauritius 2-0 on Friday, which means they hold a slight advantage heading into the final game as the Eagles of Qasioun require only a draw to claim the trophy. Syria have a long history of playing tournaments in India, but the title has always evaded them. The West Asians lost back-to-back Nehru Cup finals to India in 2007 and 2009 before finishing fourth in 2012. In their last trip to India in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, Syria ended in third place. But for the Blue Tigers to deny them a first silverware on Indian soil, they will need to end a winless streak stretching back to November last year. "It will be a difficult game for both sides. It's a friendly game,

After sacking Stimac, AIFF advertises for new Indian football team coach

Stimac reacted to the sudden announcement by saying that he would sue AIFF if he did not receive his full compensation within 10 days of sacking

No VAR! India's FIFA World Cup 2026 dream shattered by controversial goal

The FIFA World Cup 2026 second round qualifier saw a controversial goal by Qatar's Yousef Aymen in the 73rd minute, which the Indian team contested as the ball had gone out of play

FIFA WC 2026 Qualifier IND vs QAT: India robbed of chance to script history

Poor refereeing robbed India of a chance to secure a historic entry into the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers as Asian champions Qatar rode on a controversial goal to emerge 2-1 winners here on Tuesday. India were ahead thanks to Lallianzuala Chhangte's 37th minute goal but disaster struck when the referee adjudged Yousef Aymen's 73rd minute equaliser as fair after the ball appeared to have gone out of play. The controversial decision turned the game on its head as Qatar scored their second through Ahmed Al-Rawi in the 85th minute. This was after the Indians came within touching distance of scripting history after going 1-0 at half time, with Kuwait and Afghanistan goalless in the day's other match. But the Indian dream lay shattered in a space of few minutes in the second half courtesy the controversial goal by Aymen and the ensuing strike by Al-Rawi. Meanwhile, Eid Al-Rashidi struck the winner for Kuwait in the 81st minute. Qatar and Kuwait thus progressed to the sec

FIFA WC 2026 Qualifier, India vs Qatar live match time (IST) live streaming

The India vs Qatar football match will begin at 9:15 PM IST today. Fans can watch the live streaming of IND vs QAT football on the Fan Code app.

Chhetri-less India enter transition phase with WC qualifier against Qatar

The influential Sunil Chhetri's absence will be a difficult void to fill as the Indian football team enters a testing transition phase with a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying match against heavyweights Qatar here on Tuesday. The 39-year-old Chhetri called time on his glorious international career by playing in last week's fixture against Kuwait in Kolkata, which ended in a goal-less draw as the team failed to give him a fitting farewell. Chhetri ended with 94 goals in 151 matches, having led the country with aplomb for more than a decade. The Indian team will be led by the 32-year-old first-choice goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who has so far appeared in 72 internationals and is the most experienced player in the 23-member squad after Chhetri's retirement. An acid test awaits India as they run into two-time Asian champions Qatar at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, knowing well that a defeat will end their campaign and dash all hopes of securing a maiden entry into the third round

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier, India vs Kuwait highlights: Sunil Chhetri finishes without scoring

In his last appearance for India, the 'captain, leader, legend' Sunil Chhetri couldn't score and neither could India and Kuwait with the match ending 0-0, India's chances of qualification diminishing

Sunil Chhetri retires: List of all goals scored in international football

Sunil Chhetri represented India in 146 matches during his illustrious career of 20 years, and most 94 goals for India

FIFA WC 2026 Qualifier, India vs Kuwait live match time, live streaming

In the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier, India vs Kuwait live match will begin at 7:00 PM IST today at Salt Lake Stadium. IND vs KUW match is also Sunil Chhetri's final match in international football

City Club to club football's Citadel: Making of the legend Sunil Chhetri

Playing for the City Club in Delhi at 18, Chhetri scored in one of the four games in the Durand Cup 2001-02 and made it to the top five promising players of the tournament

Here's how legend Sunil Chhetri shaped Indian football for the future

The tidal shift in the football fandom of the national team can be credited to one man in particular and that is Sunil Chhetri