Indian football calendar for October 2026

Indian Football is ready for an action-packed month of October.

The 2026-27 campaign for Indian football is poised to move into overdrive as it will be marking the beginning of the new Indian Super League (ISL) season, and many other prominent matches will be on display for the fans to enjoy.

Apart from the ISL finally starting after much anticipation, the month of October will also present fans with the opportunity to watch India take part in some really high-profile friendly matches. There also will be continental football for fans to enjoy as well as matches involving the youth teams in Indian football.

Indeed, many levels of the Indian teams (men’s and women’s) will be in action for the month of October alongside the boost of club football for fans to enjoy going forward in the month.

In this article, we shall look at the schedule for Indian football in the month of October 2026.

Indian men’s senior football team

The Indian men’s senior football team made a pretty promising return to action when they held Panama to a 1-1 draw in their recent friendly match.

However, the international window is not done for Khalid Jamil’s side yet at all as they are now gearing up to face two of the biggest teams ever faced by the Blue Tigers.

India are set to host five-time World Champions Brazil in their first match of October on the 3rd, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata. They will be facing off against the Selecao for the first time ever, with the players motivated to produce their very best against the South American giants.

After their match against Brazil, India will be playing against Uruguay in their final friendly before the end of the international break – in what should be another thrilling friendly clash. The match will be played at the VYBK in Kolkata on 6th October.

• 3 October, 2026: India vs Brazil (International Friendlies)
• 6 October, 2026: India vs Uruguay (International Friendlies)

ISL 2026-27

The 2026-27 season of the Indian Super League will finally be beginning from 10 October (2026), with Bengaluru FC to take on SC Delhi in the curtain-raiser for the new campaign.

The entire month of October after that will feature matches in the ISL, with the majority of the matches also being scheduled for the weekends.

Defending champions East Bengal will kick off their campaign against Churchill Brothers in the second match week, on 18 October (2026). There will almost be regular action of the ISL after it begins in October, keeping up enough entertainment for the Indian football fans to enjoy.

India women’s senior football team

The India women’s football team will also mark some personal history when they return back to action in October. The Blue Tigresses will play their first matches since winning the 2026 SAFF Women’s Championship in June 2026 and will be hosting Russia in two friendly matches.

What is special about these friendlies is that the matches will be held in Kolkata.

• 8 October, 2026: India vs Russia (International Friendlies)
• 11 October, 2026: India vs Russia (International Friendlies)

India U-15 men’s football team

For the India U-15 men’s national team, the month of October (2026) will be a busy one, as they are scheduled to take part in a host of matches.

The India U-15 team will now not be playing three back-to-back friendly matches against Uzbekistan U-15 in Bengaluru before travelling to Azerbaijan for the 2026 FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival.

Iran U-15 and Uzbekistan U-15 will not be travelling to India for the friendlies announced earlier by the AIFF. Instead, the India U-15 team is scheduled to travel to Doha, where they are expected to face Qatar and Oman.

The Indian side is likely to play two matches each against Qatar and Oman, with the dates and venues TBD.

The Blue Colts are ready to play five matches at the U-15 World Cup in October against many different teams, making for a fascinating new experience for the young players.

This will be a big chance for the young players to test their mettle against some of the most promising young footballers from around the planet and prove why they can be long-term assets for Indian football.

• 24 October, 2026: India U-15 vs Laos U-15 (FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, 2026)
• 25 October, 2026: India U-15 vs Cameroon U-15 (FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, 2026)
• 26 October, 2026: India U-15 vs Grenada U-15 (FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, 2026)
• 27 October, 2026: India U-15 vs Bahrain U-15 (FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, 2026)
• 28 October, 2026: India U-15 vs Senegal U-15 (FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, 2026)

Also Read: ISL side Punjab FC rope in Mickaël Malsa ahead of 2026-27 season

India U-17 women’s football team

The India U-17 women’s football team are going to take part in some challenging matches in the month of October. They will be taking part in the 2027 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, being a big opportunity for Joakim Alexandersson to be able to carve their place in Asia’s biggest tournament for that age-group.

The India U-17 women’s side have been placed in a pretty tricky group in the qualification stages, as they will be facing off against the likes of Iraq U-17 women, Syria U-17 women and Malaysia U-17 women’s side. Alexandersson’s side needs to win majority of the games, as only the group winners will be able to qualify for the main tournament.

• 5 October, 2026: India U-17 women vs Iraq U-17 women (2027 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers)
• 8 October, 2026: India U-17 women vs Syria U-17 women (2027 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers)
• 11 October, 2026: India U-17 women vs Malaysia U-17 women (2027 AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers)

AFC Continental Leagues

East Bengal will continue their campaign into the group stages of the 2026-27 AFC Champions League, being Indian football’s only representative in that tournament. Antonio Habas’ side had a pretty decent start to their campaign, being able to hold Al-Hussein SC to a 2-2 draw to get a point away from home.

Now, they are set to play their first home match of the competition against Al-Shorta, before having their second continental clash in October. East Bengal will be travelling to Oman to face Al-Seeb later in the month. The team will aim to acquire maximum points to be able to thrive in their group & qualify for the knock-outs.

FC Goa will also participate in the 2026-27 AFC Challenge League after they failed to qualify for the ACL 2. The Gaurs have been drawn into Group C along with FC Regar-Tadaz, Fortis FC 20 & Qadsia SC. Goa will travel to Kuwait to play all 3 matches in the AFC Challenge League.

• October 13, 2026: East Bengal vs Al-Shorta (AFC Champions League 2)
• October 17, 2026: FC Goa vs FC REGAR-TADAZ (AFC Challenge League)
• October 20, 2026: FC Goa vs Fortis FC (AFC Challenge League)
• October 23, 2026: FC Goa vs Qadsia SC (AFC Challenge League)
• October 27, 2027: Al-Seeb vs East Bengal (AFC Champions League 2)

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