India vs Brazil predicted lineup: Khalid Jamil's 4-4-2 and the 26-man squad for India's first ever meeting with the five-time world champions

The All India Football Federation announced the Brazil game on 30 July, and it is a landmark for Indian football. The two countries have never met at senior level, and for India, ranked 138th, fifth-placed Brazil are the highest-ranked opponent since the FIFA ranking was introduced in 1992. The game is the centrepiece of three home friendlies: Panama on 25 September, Brazil on 3 October and Uruguay on 6 October. When tickets went on sale on 2 September, the cheaper seats were reported to have sold out within about an hour.

Schedule — three home games, with Brazil and Uruguay in Kolkata

India's September/October friendlies (kick-off 19:30 IST)

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result
25 Sep	Panama	Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru	1-1
3 Oct	Brazil	Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata	—
6 Oct	Uruguay	Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata	—

The 19:30 kick-off for the Brazil game comes from the ticketing page; AIFF has not published an official time. Uruguay are led by interim coach Diego Forlán, who played in the Indian Super League (ISL) for Mumbai City in 2016.

Where India are — out of Asian Cup qualifying, and Chhetri has retired again

India will not be at the 2027 Asian Cup. A 2-1 home defeat to Singapore on 14 October 2025 ended their chances, and they finished bottom of their qualifying group. In November Sunil Chhetri, who had come out of retirement, retired from international football for a second time with 157 caps and 95 goals. India closed qualifying with a 2-1 win over Hong Kong in March 2026, but then lost both games at the Unity Cup in London, to Jamaica and Zimbabwe, and took one point from two friendlies in Tajikistan in June.

India under Khalid Jamil (since August 2025): P13 W2 D5 L6

Date	Opponent	Score	Competition
29 Aug 2025	Tajikistan	W 2-1	CAFA Nations Cup
1 Sep 2025	Iran	L 0-3	CAFA Nations Cup
4 Sep 2025	Afghanistan	D 0-0	CAFA Nations Cup
8 Sep 2025	Oman	D 1-1 (3-2 pens)	CAFA Nations Cup 3rd place
9 Oct 2025	Singapore	D 1-1	Asian Cup qualifying
14 Oct 2025	Singapore	L 1-2	Asian Cup qualifying (eliminated)
18 Nov 2025	Bangladesh	L 0-1	Asian Cup qualifying
31 Mar 2026	Hong Kong	W 2-1	Asian Cup qualifying
27 May 2026	Jamaica	L 0-2	Unity Cup (London)
30 May 2026	Zimbabwe	L 0-1	Unity Cup (London)
5 Jun 2026	Tajikistan	L 1-3	Friendly
9 Jun 2026	Tajikistan	D 1-1	Friendly
25 Sep 2026	Panama	D 1-1	Friendly

Local dates. The penalty shoot-out win over Oman counts as a draw. The unofficial 6-1 win over Bhutan in November 2025 is not included.

Khalid Jamil — a compact 4-4-2 and set pieces

Jamil took over in August 2025, the first Indian to coach the national team since 2012. Born in Kuwait in 1977, he won 40 caps for India as a player. As a coach he made his name by winning the 2017 I-League with Aizawl, a small club from the north-east, and he later became the first Indian coach to take a side into the ISL play-offs, with NorthEast United. His India play a compact 4-4-2 with a low block and rely on set pieces and long throws: all three goals at the CAFA Nations Cup, where India finished third, came from long throws. He has also used a back three, against Tajikistan and at the Unity Cup.

I don't fear anything. These are teams that have been world champions. Whatever the results, I will not blame anyone. It's my responsibility.

Khalid Jamil, 13 September (via Khel Now)

Before the Panama game he added: "You cannot defend every time. So, we will definitely be attacking also." Against Brazil the question is whether India can do more than sit deep — how often they can reach the goal through counters and set pieces.

Panama 1-1 — Ryan Williams scores, but India can't hold on

The series opened on 25 September in Bengaluru with a 1-1 draw against Panama, ranked 44th. India lined up in a 4-4-2 and went ahead after 41 minutes when Ryan Williams finished Akash Mishra's long ball with his right foot. Omar Valencia, on at half-time, equalised for Panama after 68 minutes. Jamil sent on Anirudh Thapa and Sahal Abdul Samad on 72 minutes and made five changes in all, but India could not find a winner. Panama now travel to Japan for the Kirin Cup.

The squad — Mehtab Singh in for Ricky Meetei

Centre-back Mehtab Singh (*) was not in the squad announced on 31 August. He appeared on the team sheet for the Panama game in place of Ricky Meetei, and AIFF has not explained the change. The squad is almost entirely home-based: the only player at a foreign club is goalkeeper Som Kumar, in the Slovenian second tier. Farukh Choudhary has left Chennaiyin and Mohammed Sanan's Jamshedpur contract has ended, and neither has a new club yet. The 2026-27 ISL does not start until 10 October, so the players go into these three games without competitive club football.

After the dispute over its commercial rights, the ISL agreed a new four-year, club-led structure with AIFF in July. Jamshedpur withdrew from the league and their place passed to Churchill Brothers; we could not confirm Albino Gomes's club for the new season.

The omissions also made headlines. Defensive leader Sandesh Jhingan (FC Goa), former domestic player of the year Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mohun Bagan) and Liston Colaco were all left out. Jamil gave no reasons, and Jhingan said it was disappointing but that he respected the coach's decision. On Chhetri, Jamil said the decision was the player's own: "We must give him respect… Sunil is India's number one."

Predicted XI vs Brazil (3 Oct) — the Panama starters in a 4-4-2

There is a week between the games and Jamil has barely changed his 4-4-2, so we have gone with the XI that started against Panama. Captain Gurpreet is in goal behind Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bijoy Varghese and Abhishek Tekcham. Ricky Shabong and Apuia form the midfield pair, with Ashique Kuruniyan on the left and Vikram Partap Singh on the right, and Manvir Singh and Ryan Williams up front.

If anything changes it is likely to be in midfield. Anirudh Thapa, the most experienced of the midfielders with 59 caps as of June, could come in for Shabong. Jamil could also switch to a back five with Mehtab Singh or Jay Gupta to deal with Brazil's wingers. If India fall behind and have to chase the game, Sahal Abdul Samad and Rahim Ali are the options from the bench.

Players to watch — Ryan Williams and captain Gurpreet

The most interesting story is Ryan Williams. Born in Perth in 1993 to an Anglo-Indian mother from Bombay, he played for Australia at under-20 and under-23 level and won one senior cap, in a 2019 friendly against South Korea. In November 2025 he gave up his Australian passport to take Indian citizenship, and FIFA approved his switch. He scored in the fourth minute of his India debut against Hong Kong on 31 March, scored again against Panama, and is vice-captain at Bengaluru FC.

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has led the team since Chhetri's retirement. The 197cm keeper, who has played in Europe, won his 89th cap against Panama, and how many saves he has to make against Brazil's forwards will go a long way to deciding the game. In midfield, Apuia's ball-winning and Thapa's ability to change a game from the bench are key.

What Brazil might pick — a mix of regulars and newcomers, with Vinícius starting

Carlo Ancelotti has only just started Brazil's new cycle after the World Cup. They drew 1-1 with Australia in Townsville on 25 September and play them again in Brisbane on the 29th before travelling to India. With three games in nine days and a long trip from Australia to India, Ancelotti is unlikely to repeat the XI from Townsville, but he is just as unlikely to send a complete B team on Brazil's first ever visit to India. We have gone for a mix in a 4-2-3-1. Vinícius Júnior starts, captain Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães are the centre-backs with Vanderson at right-back, and Andrey Santos and Douglas Luiz form the midfield pair. Newcomer Otávio is in goal, Mauro Júnior plays left-back, Gabriel Bontempo is the No. 10, Rayan, who equalised against Australia, is on the right, and Pedro leads the line. Raphinha, Estêvão and Bruno Guimarães start on the bench.

The venue — Salt Lake Stadium, where Messi first captained Argentina

The Salt Lake Stadium, officially the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, holds around 68,000 and is one of the biggest football grounds in India. In September 2011 it hosted Argentina against Venezuela, Lionel Messi's first game as Argentina captain. At the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, 66,613 watched Brazil play Germany in the quarter-final there, and Brazil lost the semi-final to England 3-1 at the same ground. Kolkata's links with Brazil go back further: in 1977 Pelé visited with the New York Cosmos and drew 2-2 with Mohun Bagan at Eden Gardens.

The game has also drawn criticism. Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia questioned the reported cost and India's withdrawal from the first FIFA ASEAN Cup, whose dates clashed. For India, the performance will matter as much as the result.