India national football team: Blue Tigers name squad for AFC Asian Cup qualifier

India’s senior men’s football team, known as the Blue Tigers, has named a 23-member squad for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong.

The squad includes goalkeepers Albino Gomes, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Vishal Kaith; defenders Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bijoy Varghese, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Roshan Singh Naorem and Sandesh Jhingan; midfielders Ashique Kuruniyan, Danish Farooq Bhat, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Lalengmawia Ralte and Sahal Abdul Samad; and forwards Edmund Lalrindika, Farukh Choudhary, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali and Ryan Williams.

The Blue Tigers begin their camp in Kochi on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, where 20 players along with the staff have assembled.

Defender Anwar Ali, midfielder Jeakson Singh Thounaojam and forward Edmund Lalrindika, who played their last Indian Super League 2025-26 match against Mohammedan Sporting Club on Monday, March 23, will join the squad later on Tuesday.

About the teams and competition

The India national football team represents India in international football and is governed by the All India Football Federation, which operates under the global jurisdiction of FIFA.

In Asia, the team falls under the Asian Football Confederation, and in South Asia under the South Asian Football Federation, both of which were co-founded by the AIFF. The Bangladesh national football team is controlled by the Bangladesh Football Federation, formed in 1972.

Bangladesh became a member of the AFC in 1973 and of FIFA in 1976. The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of AFC members, determining the continental champion of Asia.

It is the second-oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa America. Until 2015, the winning team qualified for the FIFA Confederations Cup.

What happens next

India’s camp opens in Kochi on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with 20 players and staff present. Anwar Ali, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam and Edmund Lalrindika will join later on Tuesday after completing club duties in the Indian Super League 2025-26 match against Mohammedan Sporting Club on Monday, March 23. The squad will then prepare for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong.

India squad for AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong

Related on Apex Sports News

• Mehrajuddin Wadoo Names 23-Member India Squad for AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers

• India U15 lose 1-2 to Afghanistan in FIFA U15 World Cup quarter-final

• India Under-19 Asia Cup squad: Sehwag and Dravid named

Sources

• Wikipedia: India national football team (background)

• Wikipedia: Bangladesh national football team (background)

• Wikipedia: AFC Asian Cup (background)

• the-aiff.com

• Photo: Umarxon III, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)