&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Who is Tahsin Mohammed? Indian teen with Kerala roots named in Qatar World Cup squad")
Tahsin Mohammed will play for Qatar at the forthcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America, starting June 11. Born to Indian parents from the southern state of Kerala, Tahsin will be the second Indian-origin footballer at this year’s edition after New Zealand midfielder Sarpreet Singh.
For generations, Kerala has been India’s football powerhouse, with the sport being worshipped just like it is in the ‘City of Joy’, Kolkata. Considering its massive support for the local clubs, Kerala’s love for football goes beyond boundaries, with the state divided into two when South American giants Brazil and Argentina face off at any level. This time, with the 48-team-tournament beginning in less than 10 days, the Kerala fans will continue to prove their loyalty to the two participating teams, but also will cheer for Qatar for a 19-year-old Tahsin.
Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui named the 26-man World Cup squad on Tuesday (June 2), picking the left winger Tahsin Mohammed.
Who is he?
Born to father Jamshid, a former Calicut University footballer from Thalassery and his mother Shaima, from Valapattanam in Kannur, Mohammed learned the nuances of football at the Aspire Academy, regarded as one of the best Asian facilities in nurturing elite talent. Meanwhile, his impressive skills earned Tahsin opportunities with Al-Duhail in the Qatar Stars League.
Soon after, when he was 17, the forward became the first player with Indian roots to play in the league.
After impressing at Qatar’s age-group teams, Tahsin broke into the national side and later got picked to play in his maiden FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
The last edition’s hosts, Qatar, are placed in Group B, alongside Canada, Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Qatar will play its opener against the Swiss on June 14, before taking on Canada (June 19) and Bosnia and Herzegovina six days later on June 25.
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Qatar FIFA World Cup Squad –
Goalkeepers: Salah Zakaria, Mahmoud Abunada, Meshaal Barsham
Defenders: Hashmi Hussein, Ayoub Alawi, Boualem Khoukhi, Pedro Miguel, Issa Laaye, Lucas Mendes, Sultan Al-Brake, Homam Al-Amin
Midfielders: Mohammed Al-Manai, Jassem Jaber, Karim Boudiaf, Ahmed Fathi, Abdulaziz Hatem, Assim Madibo
Forwards: Tahseen Mohammed, Edmilson Junior, Almoez Ali, Akram Afif, Mohammed Muntari, Yousef Abdulrazzaq, Ahmed Alaa, Hassan Al-Haydos, Ahmed Al-Janahi
