Hanoi, 13 August 2026 – India will not participate in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, with the national team instead prioritizing a high-profile friendly against Brazil scheduled during the same period.
Despite preparations for the FIFA ASEAN Cup already being well underway, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to withdraw India from the tournament. The federation is currently planning an international friendly against Brazil on October 3, which clashes with the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 schedule.
Explaining the decision, AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said:
“We cannot participate in the FIFA ASEAN Cup because we have a match scheduled against Brazil. We have informed FIFA of the reasons why we were forced to make this decision.”
Chaubey emphasized that the rare opportunity to face Brazil was a major factor behind India’s decision, particularly as the national team have already faced some of their scheduled ASEAN Cup opponents several times in recent years.
“India have played Singapore and Malaysia [their ASEAN Cup group opponents] four times over the past three years, and we will have opportunities to face them again. But a match against Brazil rarely happens. For many Indian players, it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
In addition to the Brazil friendly, India are expected to arrange at least one more international match during the September-October 2026 FIFA international window. The AIFF has also left open the possibility of participating in a future edition of the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
India’s withdrawal leaves tournament organizers needing to find a replacement with the competition rapidly approaching.
India had originally been placed in Group A of Pot 1 alongside Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Meanwhile, Vietnam are in Group B of Pot 1 with Pakistan, who replaced China, as well as the Philippines and Thailand.
Pot 2 is also divided into two groups. Brunei, Hong Kong (China) and Myanmar are in Group A, while Cambodia, Laos and Timor-Leste make up Group B.
The FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is scheduled to run from September 24 to October 3, meaning organizers will now have to move quickly to identify a team to take India’s place.
VSN/RPT
Leave a Reply