India to host Panama in international friendly before facing Brazil

Indian football team (File pic)

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) revealed on Tuesday that the Indian senior men's national football team is scheduled to face Panama in an international friendly on September 26 during the upcoming FIFA international window.

As stated in the AIFF release, the specific host venue for the encounter will be determined and announced soon.

Marking the first-ever meeting between the two countries, the fixture presents head coach Khalid Jamil and his squad with a crucial test against a team that competed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Occupying the 44th spot in the current FIFA World Rankings, Panama will become just the ninth CONCACAF member nation India has encountered in international football history.

India will face Panama ahead of their international friendly against Brazil

Discussing the upcoming schedule, AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan emphasised the significance of the Panama match in preparing the team for an extraordinary October fixture against five-time World Cup winners Brazil.

"Playing against Panama will be a tough battle ahead of the Brazil game. Panama is a top-50 team in the world, and it will be a good test for Khalid Jamil's boys. We are looking forward to our players getting the right exposure, and we normally don't get to play such World Cup teams. So it's a good FIFA window for us, where we are playing such tough teams," he said.

The Panama game serves as the opening leg of a four-match stretch for India against nations that featured in this summer's World Cup. Brazil is slated to visit Kolkata's Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 3 for their inaugural senior men's international clash with India.

Ranked fifth globally, Brazil represents the highest-ranked opponent India has ever played since the introduction of the FIFA ranking system in 1992. Before their trip to India, Brazil will take on Australia on September 25 before playing a second friendly in Brisbane on September 29.

To round out their challenging international calendar, India will also host New Zealand for two consecutive friendlies on November 12 and 15, offering valuable experience against top-tier opposition under coach Jamil's guidance.

(With inputs from ANI)