Indian football is gearing up for a busy month in September 2023, with national teams competing in seven separate events across four different Asian countries.
The senior, U23, U19, and U16 men’s teams, as well as the senior and U17 women’s teams, will all be in action. The busiest day of the month will be September 21, when four matches will be played within six hours. The men’s U19 team will face Bangladesh in the SAFF U19 Championship in Nepal, the women’s U17 team will take on Thailand in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, and the men’s U19 team will play Chinese Taipei at the Asian Games in China.
This is a significant opportunity for Indian football to showcase its talent on the international stage. The teams will be hoping to make their mark and achieve some memorable results. It will be a month to remember for Indian football fans
SAFF U16 Championship (Thimphu, Bhutan) September 1–10
India’s newly appointed head coach Ishfaq Ahmed will be looking to defend the team’s title at the SAFF U16 Championship, which will be held from September 1 to 10 at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan.
The squad has been training in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, since mid-July after a rigorous talent scouting process in five zones across the country. The top two teams from Group A, which includes Bangladesh, Nepal, and India, will advance to the semifinals.
India’s SAFF U16 Championship games include:
Bangladesh vs. India, Group A, September 1 (14:30 IST, Thimphu)
India vs. Nepal, Group A, September 5 (14:30 IST, Thimphu)
Semi-final on September 7 (Thimphu, 14:30 or 18:30 IST)
Final (17:30 IST, Thimphu) on September 10.
AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers(Dalian, China PR) September 6–12.
Clifford Miranda, who was recently named the AIFF Men’s Coach of the Year, will now attempt to lead India to their first-ever AFC U23 Asian Cup.
A preliminary camp with 28 probables will begin in Bhubaneswar on August 20. India will open their campaign against the Maldives at the Dalian Sports Centre Stadium, before facing hosts China PR and the UAE in their remaining two Group G matches.
The top 16 teams from the 11 groups will qualify for the final tournament in Qatar, which will also serve as the AFC qualifying event for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in Paris in 2024. India will be hoping to make history by qualifying for the AFC U23 Asian Cup for the first time.
India’s games at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers:
India against. Maldives, September 6 (Time TBD, Dalian)
China PR vs. India on September 9 (Time TBD, Dalian)
On September 12 in Dalian, there will be a game between the UAE and India.
7–10 September: 49th King’s Cup (Chiang Mai, Thailand)
The Indian senior men’s football team, which had a stellar first half of 2023, winning all three of the events they took part in, will travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to compete in the 49th King’s Cup during the FIFA international match window in September.
The Blue Tigers will face Iraq, Lebanon, and hosts Thailand in the 2023 King’s Cup. This will be India’s second appearance in the tournament, having last competed in 2019, which was also Igor Stimac’s first tournament as head coach.
The semi-finals of the knockout event will be played on September 7, followed by the final and third place match on September 10. The draw for the tournament has not yet been made, so it is not yet known who India will face in their first match.
Schedule for India in the 49th King’s Cup:
India vs. TBD in the semi-final on September 7 (16:00 or 19:00 IST, Chiang Mai)
India plays TBD on September 10 for third place. Final (16:00 or 19:00 IST, Chiang Mai) or Playoff
AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Indonesia 2024 Qualifying Round, September 19–23 (Buriram, Thailand)
The Indian women’s under-17 football team made history in April when they won their group in the first round of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers.
The team, nicknamed the Young Tigresses, have been training in Indore since the first week of July under the guidance of Priya PV, the AIFF Women’s Coach of the Year. India is grouped in Group A with the host nation Thailand, Korea Republic, and Iran. The top two teams in the group will qualify for the championship tournament, which will be held in Indonesia in April 2024.
The Young Tigresses will be hoping to continue their good form and qualify for the championship tournament. This would be a historic achievement for Indian women’s football, as the team has never qualified for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup before.
The following are India’s Round 2 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers games:
India vs. Korea Republic on September 19 at 15:00 IST in Buriram
Thailand vs. India on September 21 (19:00 IST, Buriram)
India vs. Iran on September 23 at 15:30 IST at Buriram
19th Asian Games, September 19–October 7, Hangzhou, China
India’s men’s and women’s football teams will return to the Asian Games for the first time since 2014.
The men’s team will face hosts China in their opening match on September 19 at the Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou. India is also in Group A with Bangladesh and Myanmar. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.
The women’s team will play their matches in Wenzhou, a city located 300 kilometers from Hangzhou. India is in Group B with Thailand and Chinese Taipei. The top two teams from each group will also advance to the knockout stage.
The full schedule for the Indian teams is as follows:
Men’s team:
September 19: China vs. India (17:00 IST, Hangzhou)
September 21: India vs. Bangladesh (13:30 IST, Xiaoshan)
September 24: India vs. Myanmar (17:00 IST, Xiaoshan)
Round of 16: September 27 or 28
Quarterfinal: October 1
Semifinal: October 4
Gold / Bronze medal match: October 7
Women’s team:
September 21: Chinese Taipei vs. India (17:00 IST, Wenzhou)
September 24: India vs. Thailand (17:00 IST, Wenzhou)
Quarterfinal: September 30
Semifinal: October 3
Gold / Bronze medal match: October 6
Merdeka Cup, October 13-17
The Indian football team has been drawn to play Malaysia in the 2023 Merdeka Cup Tournament.The draw was held on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 at FA Malaysia. The 42nd Merdeka Cup is scheduled to take place in October 2023 by the Malaysian Football Association. India, Lebanon, Palestine, and Malaysia will all be participating.The match between India and Malaysia will be held in the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on October 13, 2023. The other semifinal will be played earlier that day between Palestine and Lebanon. The semi-finalists will meet in the championship match on October 17. The two losing teams will play for third place in a play-off.
Here are India’s fixtures at the Merdeka Cup:
Palestine vs Lebanon (2:00 PM IST, October 13, 2023)
Malaysia vs India (6:30 PM IST, October 13, 2023)
Third-place play-off (2:00 PM IST, October 17, 2023)
Final (6:30 PM IST, October 17, 2023)
First Leg of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, 16–21 November
India, Qatar, and Kuwait have been drawn in Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The winner of the Afghanistan-Mongolia playoff will also join the group.India will kick off their campaign against Kuwait on November 16, 2023. India will play at-least twice against the Kuwait, Qatar and the winner between Afghanistan and Mongolia.India is ranked 99th in the FIFA rankings, while Qatar is ranked 59th, Kuwait is ranked 137th, Afghanistan is ranked 157th, and Mongolia is ranked 183rd. This means that India will be the underdogs in the group, but they will be hoping to cause some upsets and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Indian Schedule for the First Leg of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers:
Afghanistan/Mongolia vs. India – 21.03.24
India vs. Afghanistan/Mongolia – 26.03.24
India vs. Kuwait – 06.06.24
India vs. Qatar – 11.06.23
Kuwait vs. India – 16.11.23
India vs. Qatar – 21.11.23
