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Khalid Jamil Names 28-Man Squad for Unity Cup 2026 in London

India head coach Khalid Jamil has announced a 28-member preliminary squad for the Unity Cup 2026 in London. The team will assemble in Bengaluru for a camp before flying to London on May 24. India will face Jamaica in the semi-final on May 27, with Nigeria and Zimbabwe playing the other semi. Jamil sees the tournament as key preparation for the SAFF Championship later this year.

Key Points: India Squad for Unity Cup 2026 Announced

  • India names 28-player preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026
  • Team to camp in Bengaluru before flying to London
  • India faces Jamaica in semi-final on May 27
  • Coach Jamil aims to use tournament as SAFF Championship prep
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Khalid Jamil announces 28-member preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026

India coach Khalid Jamil announces 28-man preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026. Blue Tigers to face Jamaica in semi-final on May 27.

"The Unity Cup will be the perfect opportunity for us to prepare for the official tournaments like the SAFF Championship later this year. - Khalid Jamil"

New Delhi, May 14

Indian senior men's national team head coach Khalid Jamil, on Thursday, announced the 28-member preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026.

The Blue Tigers are set to assemble in Bengaluru for a brief camp after the completion of the Indian Super League 2025-26, before flying off to London on May 24 for the Unity Cup, according to a press release.

India head coach Khalid Jamil will assess the players during the brief camp, before selecting the final squad of 23 that will travel to London for the Unity Cup.

"The Unity Cup will be the perfect opportunity for us to prepare for the official tournaments like the SAFF Championship later this year. We need to utilise every available FIFA International Window to prepare for the tournaments we have up ahead," Jamil said.

"We have selected the 28 players for the preliminary squad, as per their performances in the ongoing ISL. We will have a couple of days to assess them before we pick the final 23," he said.

India (136th in FIFA rankings) will play Jamaica (ranked 71st) in the second semi-final on May 27 midnight (May 28 in IST), while Nigeria (ranked 26th) take on Zimbabwe (ranked 130th) in the first semi-final at the same time. The two losing teams will play the third-place play-off on June 30.

The India head coach feels that playing against stronger opposition will help boost the team.

"We are playing against strong teams that play at a good level. I think these matches will give a lot of confidence to the players and help us play at that level. We should play more matches like these," said Jamil.

India's 28-member preliminary squad for Unity Cup 2026:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith, Hrithik Tiwari, Albino Gomes.

Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh Naorem, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Pramveer.

Midfielders: Ashique Kuruniyan, Lalengmawia Ralte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Noufal PN, Ricky Shabong.

Forwards: Ryan Williams, Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Edmund Lalrindika, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rahim Ali, Farukh Choudhary.

Unity Cup 2026 Schedule:

Semi-final OneTuesday, May 26, 19:30 BST (00:00 IST, May 27): Nigeria v Zimbabwe

Semi-Final TwoWednesday, May 27, 19:30 BST (00:00 IST, May 28): Jamaica v India

Final and Third-place Play-offSaturday, May 30.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Finally some serious friendlies against quality opposition. We've been playing too many soft teams for years. Playing Jamaica who are 71st and Nigeria at 26th is exactly what we need. Hope our boys don't get stage fright—the physicality will be different.
V
Vikram M
Good squad selection. But I'm surprised Sunil Chhetri isn't in the 28 even for experience. Maybe he's retired now. Also, we need to strengthen our midfield. Sahal and Apuia are good but we need creativity. Hope Ryan Williams gets to start—he's been outstanding.
S
Siddharth J
Honestly, I'm cautiously optimistic. Jamil has a clear plan—using the FIFA window to play higher-ranked teams. But I worry about our defence against a team like Nigeria. Sandesh and Anwar will need to be at their absolute best. Even if we lose, let's hope it's a respectable margin.
M
Michael C
Interesting squad. No Brandon Fernandes or Udanta Singh? Those are experienced players who could have helped against Jamaica's pace. But I respect Jamil's focus on youth. The Unity Cup sounds like a good initiative for development. Let's just support our boys regardless.
R
Rohit L
My only concern is preparation time. A brief camp before flying to London and then playing against physically stronger teams? I hope the ISL schedule didn't leave our players too tired. But credit to Jamil for being ambitious. We need to start beating teams from the top 50.

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