Recently, Indian newspapers reported that the national team will not participate in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026.
A newspaper quoted Mr. Kalyan Chaubey - President of the Indian Football Federation: "We cannot participate in the FIFA ASEAN Cup due to schedule constraints with the Brazilian team. There are also technical issues because only 4 matches can take place during this time (September 21 - June 10). We have informed FIFA and officials of the reason why we were forced to make this decision.
As discussed in the executive committee meeting, India has played 4 times in the past 3 years against Singapore and Malaysia (competitors in the same group at the ASEAN Cup) and may have the opportunity to play against them again, but playing against the Brazilian team is a rare opportunity, perhaps only once in a lifetime for Indian players".
The President of the Indian Football Federation emphasized: "The ASEAN Cup is an important tournament, attracting a lot of attention. We missed that tournament but will make the most of the FIFA Days to be able to play two more friendly matches with quality opponents, teams with ranks much higher than India. We can learn a lot from such difficult matches".
Up to now, fans are still waiting for official information from the World Football Federation about the case of the Indian team.
Previously, the organizers conducted a draw to divide the groups at the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026. In the Premier Division (1st division), the 8 strongest teams are divided into two groups. Group A includes Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore; Group B gathers Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Pakistan.
However, with India not participating in the tournament, FIFA is forced to find a replacement team to create balance for the two groups, especially when the tournament is about to kick off in September.
According to regulations, the teams will play a single round-robin in each group. After the group stage, the top two teams in each group will win the right to enter the final to compete for the championship. The second-placed teams will play a third-place match, and the third and fourth-placed teams will continue to meet to determine the positions of 5-6 and 7-8.
The organizing committee will award gold, silver, bronze medals and corresponding bonuses to teams with high achievements.
