India will play Bhutan in a behind-closed-doors friendly before the 2027 AFC Asia Cup qualifiers

The Indian senior football team will play a behind-closed-doors friendly against Bhutan in Bengaluru on November 13 as part of their preparations for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup third round qualifiers.

Although the Blue Tigers are out of the Asian Cup race, they will play away against Bangladesh on November 18 before hosting Hong Kong, China next year to complete their qualifiers.

This is not the first time that the Indian team has played matches behind closed doors before the Asian Cup qualifiers. Under former head coach Manolo Marquez, India played another such match against Bangladesh’s Santosh Trophy team in May 2025 before traveling to Hong Kong.

Khalid Jamil, the current head coach, had prepared for the qualifiers – his first competitive match against Singapore – with the CAFA Nations Cup.

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However, with no competitive football other than the Super Cup and AFC Champions League 2 (FC Goa only), Jamil expects his boys to gain valuable experience during the friendly in Bhutan. The former Aizawl FC and Jamshedpur FC coach has also been keeping a close eye on the Super Cup and has called up Under-23 international Mohammad Sanan for the November window.

Furthermore, the matches in this window could also feature Ryan Williams, who recently gave up his Australian passport to switch to India, while the country’s leading goalscorer Sunil Chhetri will no longer feature in Indian colors after announcing his retirement earlier this month.

India’s likely selection for the November international window:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Hrithik Tiwari, Sahil.

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bikash Yumnam, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Muhammed Uvais, Pramveer, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan.

Midfielders: Ashique Kuruniyan, Brison Fernandes, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Macarton Louis Nickson, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nikhil Prabhu, Suresh Singh Wangjam.

Forward: Irfan Yadwad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Mohammed Sanan, Rahim Ali, Vikram Partap Singh, Ryan Williams.

Head coach: Khalid Jamil

Published on November 12, 2025