3 min readUpdated: Aug 25, 2026 08:34 PM IST
The All India Football Federation on Tuesday announced that the Indian team will play Panama in an international friendly on September 26. The fixture, whose venue is yet to be decided, falls just days ahead of the Blue Tigers historical match against Brazil on October 3 in Kolkata.
“The Indian senior men’s national team will host Panama in an international friendly match on Saturday, September 26, 2026, during the FIFA Men’s International Match Window. The venue for the fixture will be confirmed at a later date,” the AIFF said in a statement.
The match was added to AIFF’s calendar after India withdrew from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in order to prioritise their high-profile friendly against Brazil, avoiding a scheduling clash that had made their participation in both competitions untenable.
🇮🇳 vs 🇵🇦
A first-ever meeting between India and Panama. 🌟The Indian men’s national team will host the World No. 44 side in an international friendly on September 26. The venue will be confirmed at a later date. 🏟️#INDPAN #BlueTigers #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/KqWwHM9LaK
— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) August 25, 2026
India were invited to participate in the inaugural edition of the FIFA ASEAN Cup in June. Indonesia were named hosts, with India drawn alongside the hosts, Singapore and Malaysia. On 30 July, however, AIFF announced a friendly against Brazil, which will be played in Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on 3 October.
The AIFF had initially insisted that India would compete in both competitions, but it eventually became an unfeasible proposition. The federation had explored the possibility of sending separate squads to the two competitions, but that option was ultimately ruled out on technical grounds.
This will be the first time that India and Panama will face each other and it’s only the ninth different CONCACAF side India have faced in their history. Panama, currently ranked 44th in the FIFA World Ranking, had played in the 2026 World Cup as well but finished bottom of their group and were eliminated from the first round.
This will be the first of four matches India will play against this summer’s World Cup nations in 2026, with Brazil to follow on October 3 and New Zealand on November 12 and 15.
