Latest news with #IndianFootball
India Gazette
5 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
India to play Qatar, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam in AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers
New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): The India U23 men's national team has been drawn in Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, after a draw ceremony was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Alongside India Qatar, Bahrain, and Brunei Darussalam are in Group H. Qatar, the highest-seeded team among the four, will host Group H, with the matches slated to be played between September 1 to 9, as per the AIFF official website. A total of 44 teams were divided into 11 groups of four each. The group winners and the four best runners-up, alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, will complete the cast of 16 teams for the seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will take place in January 2026. The seedings for the draw were based on a points system derived from the teams' final rankings across the previous three editions of the tournament. India were placed in Pot 3. India had earlier appointed Naushad Moosa as the head coach of their U23 national team. Moosa takes charge of the U23s on June 1, when the Blue Colts assemble in Kolkata for a training camp, before flying off to Tajikistan to play two exposure friendly matches against Tajikistan (June 18) and the Kyrgyz Republic (June 21). The India U23s will utilise all the FIFA International windows to set camp and play exposure friendlies to prepare for the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers Draw Result: Group A: Jordan (H), Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan Group B: Japan, Kuwait, Myanmar (H), Afghanistan Group C: Vietnam (H), Yemen, Singapore, Bangladesh Group D: Australia, China (H), Timor-Leste, Northern Mariana Islands Group E: Uzbekistan, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Sri Lanka Group F: Thailand (H), Malaysia, Lebanon, Mongolia Group G: Iraq, Cambodia (H), Oman, Pakistan Group H: Qatar (H), Bahrain, India, Brunei Darussalam Group I: United Arab Emirates (H), Iran, Hong Kong China, Guam Group J: Korea Republic, Indonesia (H), Laos, Macau Group K: Tajikistan, Syria, Philippines, Nepal. (ANI)
India Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
Jammu and Kashmir's Suhail Bhat earns India call-up for football friendly vs Thailand
Suhail Ahmad Bhat, a promising young forward from Jammu and Kashmir, has earned his maiden senior national team call-up as India prepares to face Thailand in an international friendly on June 4. The match will be played in Thailand as part of the Blue Tigers' build-up to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final 20-year-old striker from Srinagar's Bemina area has been rewarded for his impressive season with Mohun Bagan Super Giant, where he played a crucial role in their triumphant Indian Super League (ISL) coach Manolo Marquez announced a 28-member squad on Wednesday, all of whom will travel to Thailand. The squad also features the return of dependable East Bengal defender Anwar Ali, who had been sidelined since February with a hamstring injury.#BlueTigers' 28-member squad for the FIFA Friendly against ThailandJune 4Thammasat Stadium, Pathum ThaniMore details Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) May 28, 2025 Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri, who came out of retirement in March to help stabilise the team, also retains his place in the squad. The team has been camping in Kolkata for the past 10 days, undergoing a combination of morning gym sessions and evening on-pitch the camp, India played two practice matches to fine-tune preparations. On May 26, they defeated Santosh Trophy champions Bengal 2-1, with goals from Brandon Fernandes and Ashique Kuruniyan. The following day, they secured a 3-0 victory over North 24 Parganas, with Chhetri, Chinglensana Singh, and Udanta Singh on the are placed in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, alongside Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The group stage will follow a home-and-away round-robin format. Their next competitive match is scheduled for June 10, when they face Hong Kong in Kowloon selection continues a proud legacy of Kashmiri representation in Indian football. Midfielder Danish Farooq was the last player from the region to don the national jersey, featuring in friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus in 2022. Before him, Mehrajuddin Wadoo stood out with 31 caps between 2005 and 2011, famously scoring the winner in the 2005 SAFF Cup final against who hails from Srinagar's Rainawari area, was also part of India's victorious campaigns in the 2007 and 2009 Nehru Cups and the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. Other notable names include Mushir Ahmed, who debuted in 1985 against Thailand, and Abdul Majid, who captained India in three of his 33 appearances in the Blue Tigers are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing AFC Asian Cup 2023, where they failed to earn a single point or score a goal in group-stage matches against Australia, Uzbekistan, and squad for Thailand friendlyGoalkeepers: Hrithik Tiwari, Vishal Kaith, Gurmeet Singh, Amrinder Naorem Roshan Singh, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Anwar Ali, Boris Singh Thangjam, Sandesh Jhingan, Asish Rai, Subhasish Bose, Mehtab Singh, Abhishek Singh Suresh Singh Wangjam, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Udanta Singh Kumam, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Ashique Kuruniyan, Brandon Fernandes, Nikhil Sunil Chhetri, Edmund Lalrindika, Manvir Singh, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Lallianzuala Reel
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sunil Chhetri's speech for Indian women's team: ‘You'll get time to live normal life… (right now) just go mad'
The Indian women's football team, currently preparing for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers, had a special visitor in the form of Sunil Chhetri to boost their morale. Currently playing for the Indian men's football team after reversing his decision to retire from international football, Sunil Chhetri gave a rousing speech to the Blue Tigresses. In the sattar-minute-esque speech, Chhetri urged the players to 'go crazy' in their pursuit to keep playing football at the top level. 'Kal main athra saal ka tha (Yesterday, I was 18 years old!) Today, I'm 41! Your coach (Crispin Chhetri) and I were in same team once. The reason I am saying this is to tell you that time flies. Fast! If you really want it bad, take all the margins. There will be no difference between sleeping at 10 pm and sleeping at 10.45 pm in one night. But do this for a year, and you see the difference. If you eat a samosa one day, won't make too much of a difference. But don't eat it for one year, you see where you are! Please don't waste it (your youth). You're still young. Just go mad! Normal life jeene ke liye wakt milega (You'll get plenty of time to live a normal life),' Sunil Chhetri told the Indian players. 'Yesterday I was 18. Today, I'm 41. Time flies.' 🥺 Words of wisdom for any young athlete from our Captain, Leader and Legend. ©️ Watch! 🎥#WeAreBFC #BlueTigresses #IndianFootball — Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) May 18, 2025 Sunil Chhetri then opened up about his fears of retiring from the sport completely. 'Football choot jaayega (My football career will end) and I will not be a never be a professional player is the biggest sorrow of my life,' Sunil Chhetri told members of the Indian women's team huddled around him in a circle. 'Nothing scares me or makes me sadder than that thought. There will be a time, when I won't be able to train, or compete, I can't tackle or I can't score! There's just one more year left for that!' The team then gave him an autographed jersey which made him grin from ear to ear. We had a special visitor at the #BlueTigresses 🐯 camp in Bengaluru 🤩@chetrisunil11 🙌 Read more 👉 — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) May 18, 2025 'You know in all these years of playing for India, I have never had a jersey autographed by the rest of the Indian team. I'll frame this one!' he told the players. The Indian women's football team have been training at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru since the start of the month to compete in the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from June 23 to July 5. India have been drawn in Group B, where they will face hosts Thailand, Mongolia, Timor Leste, and Iraq.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
SAFF U19 Championship 2025: India defeat Bangladesh in nail-biting penalties in front of packed Arunachal Pradesh stadium
The SAFF U-19 Championship 2025 final saw India face Bangladesh on Sunday, May 18, at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh. Coming in as strong favourites, the Blue Colts did not disappoint the jam-packed stadium, which had been cheering them on throughout the tournament. 🏆🏆🏆 𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 🏆🏆🏆#BANIND #BlueColts #U19SAFF2025 #IndianFootball ⚽️ The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with India making an early breakthrough in the second minute. However, Bangladesh responded with determination, equalizing shortly after the hour mark. Both sides maintained relentless intensity, keeping the contest tightly contested throughout. The game entered the penalty shootout and the battle stayed neck-and-neck, but India held their nerve to edge past Bangladesh 4-3 and lift the 2025 U-19 SAFF Men's Championship trophy. 𝐀𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 ⚡⚡⚡#BANIND #BlueColts #U19SAFF2025 #IndianFootball ⚽️ This became India's record-extending 10th SAFF age-group title. The Blue Colts have now defeated Bangladesh in all four SAFF finals they've met in, including last year's U-17 championship clash. India and Bangladesh road to Final India reached the final with dominant performances, defeating Sri Lanka (8-0), Nepal (4-0), and Maldives (3-0) in the semifinal. Bangladesh, unbeaten until the final, faced their first loss of the tournament against the hosts after earlier drawing with Maldives and securing wins over Bhutan and Nepal. More to follow...
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
AIFF announces Premier 1 club license list for 2025-26 season
The All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) announced the Premier 1 club licensing results for the 2025-26 season late on Thursday. Punjab FC is the only club to have received a direct license without any sanctions. Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 champion and League Shield winner Mohun Bagan Super Giant FC received a license with sanctions. Joining it in this category are Kolkata giant East Bengal, FC Goa, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC. ALSO READ | ISL 2025-26: Punjab FC signs Jamshedpur FC full-back Muhammed Uvais on free transfer ISL clubs Mohammedan Sporting, Odisha FC, NorthEast United FC, Kerala Blasters FC and Hyderabad FC failed to get the Premier 1 club license. Meanwhile, I League champion Churchill Brothers FC Goa, which was promoted to the ISL for next season, also did not get the license along with runner-up Inter Kashi. AIFF Club Licensing Premier 1 results for the 2025-26 season have been announced. 🚨 Check out the link for more details 🔗 ⚽️ — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) May 15, 2025 This license allows clubs to participate in all AFC Club Competitions (subject to qualification) and the Indian Super League. It means that the rejected clubs will have to re-apply, and failing to do so can result in their expulsion from the ISL next season. 'These clubs have not been granted the license due to multiple failures across A and B criteria,' the AIFF said in a statement. 'The clubs whose applications have been rejected have the right to either appeal the decision, or request an exemption to participate in the National Club Competitions, as per applicable licensing regulations,' it added.
