AIFF confirms Khalid Jamil handed two-year contract as India manager, steps down as Jamshedpur FC boss
Khalid Jamil has been named the new head coach of the Indian Senior Men's National Football Team on a two-year contract, with the option of extending for another year, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Wednesday.
He becomes the first Indian to take charge of the men's side since Savio Medeira in 2012. The manager has mutually parted ways with ISL club Jamshedpur FC.
A former India international midfielder, Jamil earned 15 caps for the national team, making his debut at the 1997 SAFF Championship in Nepal, which India won. He also represented the country in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the 2001 Merdeka Tournament. At club level, he played for Mahindra United, Air India and Mumbai FC, winning the National Football League, two Federation Cups and two IFA Shields.
He also lifted the Santosh Trophy with Maharashtra in 1999.
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Jamil's coaching career spans several Indian Super League and I-League teams, including Jamshedpur FC, NorthEast United FC, East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan AC, Mumbai FC and Aizawl FC. His most celebrated achievement came in 2016-17 when he led Aizawl FC to a historic I-League title. More recently, he guided Jamshedpur FC to the final of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025, and the semi-finals of the ISL Play-offs 2024/25 and the Kalinga Super Cup 2024.
Khalid Jamil (white) of India clears the ball ahead of Jordao (No.29) of West Brom during the Pre-Season Friendly match at The Hawthorns, in Birmingham, England in 2000 (Mandatory Credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport)
The 48-year-old will work exclusively with the national team in a full-time capacity. His first training camp begins on August 15 at the Dravid-Padukone Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, with the list of players to be announced soon. His opening assignment will be the CAFA Nations Cup, where India face hosts Tajikistan (August 29), IR Iran (September 1) and Afghanistan (September 4) in Group B.
Looking ahead to the challenge, Jamil told AIFF, 'I am both deeply proud and immensely privileged to have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading our national team. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to train Indian players, and I've grown to understand their strengths and weaknesses intimately. These insights will be fundamental to everything we do as we prepare for the CAFA Nations Cup and the upcoming crucial Asian Cup Qualifiers against Singapore.
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India will play Singapore in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers on October 9 and 14.
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