India named 28 for the SAFF Championship, and Khalid Jamil’s first team will be playing New Zealand during it
Under-23 coach Naushad Moosa takes the defending champions to Dhaka, where India open against Pakistan on 5 November without their full squad.
Oct 30, 2026
India will defend the SAFF Championship with a squad that is not their first team. The AIFF named 28 players on Friday, 30 October, for the tournament in Dhaka from 5 to 17 November, and the man in charge is Naushad Moosa, the India Under-23 coach. By the time the knockouts come round, Khalid Jamil and the senior side will be on the other side of the world.
Liston Colaco and Brison Fernandes are the best-known names in the group.
Why India are splitting the squad
The SAFF Championship falls outside FIFA’s international window, which does not open until Monday, 9 November. That means ISL clubs, in the middle of their season, do not have to release anyone for India’s opening game, and they have not released everyone.
An AIFF source told RevSportz that the clubs would let some players go for the first game against Pakistan, with the rest joining before the second, which falls inside the window. The squad’s own travel plan shows how that works: 18 players fly from Kolkata on Tuesday, 3 November, and the other 10 join over the following days.
Jamil, meanwhile, will pick the first-choice squad for two friendlies against New Zealand, a side that played at this year’s World Cup. India play them at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday, 12 November, and at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Sunday, 15 November. It is the first time India’s men have visited New Zealand.
Given the choice between a regional title they have won nine times and two games against a World Cup side, I think the AIFF have picked the right priority. The cost is that the holders turn up in Dhaka short of players for their opening game.
Pakistan first
India are in Group B with Maldives and Pakistan. They open against Pakistan on Thursday, 5 November, at 3pm IST, before playing Maldives on Wednesday, 11 November, at the same time. All games are at the National Stadium in Dhaka. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan make up Group A, and the top two from each group go into the semi-finals on 14 November. The final is on 17 November.
The Pakistan game is the one people will watch, and India go into it with part of a squad. With only three teams in the group, a defeat there would leave very little room against Maldives six days later, by which point the rest of the players should have arrived.
Moosa’s assistant is Bibiano Fernandes, who took India’s Under-15s to the FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan this year.
The 28
Goalkeepers: Arsh Anwer Shaikh, Mohanraj K, Priyansh Dubey.
Defenders: Abdul Rabeeh, Bijoy Varghese, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Khaiminthang Lhungdim, Muhammed Uvais, Nathan Rodrigues, Ronney Kharbudon, Sandip Mandi.
Midfielders: Abhishek Suryavanshi, Adison Singh Thokchom, Brison Fernandes, Ebindas Yesudasan, Farukh Choudhary, Macarton Nickson, Manglenthang Kipgen, Nikhil Prabhu, Noufal PN, Ricky John Shabong, Suresh Singh Wangjam.
Forwards: Irfan Yadwad, Liston Colaco, Muhammad Suhail, Vishnu PV, Suhail Ahmad Bhat.
India won the last edition in 2023, beating Kuwait on penalties in Bengaluru after a 1-1 draw, for their ninth title.