Who are the players of Indian origin who will be part of FIFA World Cup 2026?

While watching the Kerala Premier League final at Thrissur’s Corporation Stadium on a wet Sunday evening, two elderly men were heard talking anxiously about the possibility of the FIFA World Cup not being televised in India.

They, and the rest of football-mad Kerala, must have breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that Zee would be showing the matches live in India, after signing a last-minute deal with FIFA.

Not surprisingly, Brazil and Argentina have been the perennial favorites among Kerala football fans. European teams such as France and Spain also have many supporters. You can’t quite add Qatar to such an elite list of teams.

But this time, the Malayalis will surely follow the fate of that Gulf country as well. There is a player from Kerala in Qatar. Tahsin Jamshid was born in Doha to Malayali parents hailing from Kannur district.

Ever since the 19-year-old winger was named in Qatar’s provisional squad for the World Cup, football fans here had been hoping he would make the final team for the tournament being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

No wonder his participation has caused a lot of excitement. Among those who spoke about his achievement was author and MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor.

Tahsin, whose father is a former footballer, also played for Qatar under-17s and 19s. However, he is not the only player with an Indian connection at the World Cup.

There are actually three more. Sarpreet Singh is perhaps the best known among them. The 27-year-old will play for New Zealand as an attacking midfielder.

Sarpreet’s family is from Jalandhar. He has played for the New Zealand senior team since 2018 and has scored three goals.

Nishan Velupillay is part of the Australian World Cup team. The 25-year-old winger’s father is a Malaysian of Tamil descent, while his mother is an Anglo-Indian.

Samuel Moutoussamy is part of the squad for the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has Tamil roots. While his mother is Congolese, his father is of Indo-Guadeloupean descent and of Tamil descent. The 29-year-old defensive midfielder, born in Paris, made his debut for Congo in 2019. One of the clubs he played for is Bayern Munich.

This is the first World Cup where a player of Indian origin has played since 2006, when Vikash Dharasoo played for France. His ancestors had moved to Mauritius from Andhra.

Published on June 2, 2026