India to host Brazil, Panama, Uruguay for football friendlies
India will host Brazil, Panama, and Uruguay for international football friendlies this September and October in Kolkata and Bengaluru.
The matches against Brazil and Uruguay will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata and the match against Panama will be played at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru
Published - August 27, 2026 06:56 pm IST - NEW DELHI
A view of the Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru, where the Indian team will play against Panama on September 26. File | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
India will host two-time World Cup champions Uruguay for a football friendly on October 6 in Kolkata, the third international match the country will play at home against quality teams in the upcoming FIFA window.
The match will be played three days after India's international friendly against five-time World Cup champions Brazil at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. The match against Uruguay will also be played at the same iconic venue.
The Indian team is also playing against Panama at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on September 26.
The FIFA international window is from September 21 to October 6 and a country can play a maximum of four matches in this period.
"The Indian men's national team will welcome another heavyweight of world football to Kolkata, with two-time FIFA World Cup champions Uruguay set to face India in an international friendly match at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 6, 2026. The fixture will be India's third high-profile international friendly of the window," the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said in a statement on Thursday.
"La Celeste's arrival in Kolkata adds another major fixture to an unprecedented run of international football for Indian fans, with three World Cup-playing nations — Panama, Brazil and Uruguay — set to visit the country within the same FIFA window."
Uruguay are currently ranked 20th in the FIFA chart. They won the World Cup in 2030 and 1950, and reached the semifinals three times — 1954, 1970 and 2010.
In the 2026 World Cup, they made a group stage exit, after playing out draws against Saudi Arabia (1-1) and Cape Verde (2-2), and losing to eventual champions Spain (0-1).
They were also eliminated in the group stage in the 2022 World Cup.
The current head coach of Uruguay, Diego Forlan, played for Mumbai City FC in 2016.
Earlier in the day, the AIFF announced that Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru will host India's international friendly against Panama on September 26.
The fixture will mark the Blue Tigers' first appearance in Bengaluru since their SAFF Championship 2023 campaign, when India lifted the title on home soil after defeating Kuwait in the final at the same venue.
Panama are currently ranked 44th in the world. They featured in the 2026 World Cup in the Americas and were eliminated in the group stage after losing to Ghana (0-1), Croatia (0-1) and England (0-2). They also took part in the 2018 World Cup and bowed out in the group stage.
The Blue Tigers are also slated to face New Zealand on November 12 and 15 in away matches.
Published - August 27, 2026 06:56 pm IST
Football / sport / soccer
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