India likely to send U-23 or reserve team for SAFF Championship as senior side face New Zealand

New Zealand friendly was announced during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to New Zealand in July 2026.

After a marquee FIFA International window, where the Blue Tigers take on three FIFA World Cup-playing nations, Panama, five-time world champions Brazil and two-time world champions Uruguay, India will head to New Zealand for two friendly games in the Oceania nation.

To mark a century of friendly ties between India and New Zealand as part of the 100 Years of Unity Through Sport initiative, two international friendly fixtures were officially announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to New Zealand in July 2026.

The Blue Tigers are set to play New Zealand on November 12 and November 15, 2026, during the FIFA International window at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland and the One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch.

At the same time, India are also set to compete in the SAFF Championship 2026, scheduled to take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The dates of the knockout rounds of SAFF and New Zealand are clashing. India already pulled out of the FIFA ASEAN Cup to accommodate the marquee FIFA International window.

India to send senior men’s team to New Zealand

According to TOI, head coach Khalid Jamil feels that the senior team should compete against New Zealand. He prioritised stronger opponents and has reportedly asked AIFF to send the best team to play in the Oceania region.

New Zealand are three-time World Cuppers and recently featured in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where they went on to score against every single team in the group stages, including European heavyweights Belgium and drew two games against Iran and Egypt.

Also Read: SAFF Championship 2026: Take a look at fixtures as India are set to take on Pakistan on 5th November

The All Whites are ranked 52 spots above India in the latest FIFA rankings, as they are ranked 86th globally.

Khalid Jamil said, “When the friendlies against teams that played at the FIFA World Cup were offered, I agreed with the federation’s decision. For the next window in November, there are two options.”

“I have told AIFF that we must send our best team to New Zealand. I can’t afford to be selfish. We have to do what is good for Indian football”

Indian reserves or U-23 side to take part in SAFF Championship 2026

If the Blue Tigers send their senior team to New Zealand for the friendlies, there are high chances that India will field their reserves or the U-23 side in the SAFF Championship 2026 in Dhaka.

India are the top-ranked team in South Asia. They have been drawn in Group B alongside Pakistan and the Maldives. They are expected to top the group and most likely face Bangladesh in the final.

It will be interesting to see if the Federation sends Naushad Moosa’s U-23 side along with the reserved or excluded players from the senior team to represent the Blue Tigers in Dhaka.

This is a massive opportunity for the footballers as two sets of Indian teams will compete at the same time against different opponents in completely different venues, away from home on foreign soil.

SAFF Championship 2026 Fixtures

Knockout Stage

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