&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "India prioritise Brazil friendly, withdraw from FIFA ASEAN Cup")
India have withdrawn from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup as they look to focus on their high-profile international friendly against five-time world champions Brazil in Oct, All India Football Federation (AIFF) deputy secretary general M Satyanarayanan said on Thursday (Aug 13).
India’s decision means they will miss the chance to play some of Southeast Asia’s top teams in a FIFA-sanctioned tournament.
“We have pulled out of the FIFA ASEAN Cup since we can’t play both Brazil and FIFA ASEAN Cup,” Satyanarayanan told PTI.
The FIFA ASEAN Cup was planned as a new international competition for teams from the ASEAN region, with India invited as one of the non-ASEAN teams.
India had initially accepted FIFA’s invitation and were placed in Division 1 Group A alongside Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The tournament was scheduled to take place during the Sep 21 to Oct 6 FIFA international window.
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However, India’s friendly against Brazil on Oct 3 at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium created a scheduling conflict.
The AIFF had earlier considered sending a separate squad for the ASEAN Cup but has now decided to withdraw from the tournament and use the international window for friendly matches. The Brazil game was officially announced last month.
Meanwhile, reports on Thursday claimed that India are also considering friendlies against teams that played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Cabo Verde and Iran are among the teams reportedly being discussed, although the AIFF has not officially confirmed these matches.
The decision is a major change from India’s earlier plans, as the team had accepted FIFA’s invitation and signed the participation agreement.
However, India failed to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and have found it difficult to regularly secure matches against strong international opponents in recent years.
