Indian Football Teams' Calendar 2026: Important dates, full schedule & more

A lot of footballing action awaits India’s women’s teams in 2026-27.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) recently unveiled an intense 2026-27 season schedule for the Indian men’s and women’s national football teams across all age groups. Following the release, the schedule highlights crucial international tournaments and FIFA windows that the teams will participate in to win.

A busy schedule signals an important period for Indian football to continue its growth and competitiveness on the global stage. While the Blues Tigers won’t be involved in many games in 2026, the Blue Tigresses have a chance at making a splash in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asia Cup.

Let’s take a look at the teams who will be in action:

Senior Men’s Indian Football Team

The Blues Tigers will see limited action of 90 minutes during multiple FIFA windows in 2026 and 2027. India will be playing their final Group C game against Hong Kong in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in March 2026.

The game is a damning reality of the Indian national football team’s situation and how much the game has fallen on hard times in 2026. The Indian men’s football team currently ranks 142nd in the December edition of the FIFA World Rankings.

• 31st March 2026: AFC Asian Cup Qualifier Game vs Hong Kong

Senior Women’s Indian Football Team

The Blues Tigresses‘ calendar is packed more than Men’s Indian football team for the first time in a long time. The Blue Tigresses will be participating in the 2026 AFC Women’s Asia Cup in Australia after successfully achieving qualification through the qualifiers.

India will be along with Vietnam, Chinese Taipei and Japan in Group C in the continental showcase tournament in March 2026. A successful time in Australia will be a huge boost for the Indian Women’s National Football Team’s ranking in the FIFA World Rankings.

• March 4, 2026: Vietnam vs India
• March 7, 2026: India vs Japan
• March 10, 2026: India vs Chinese Taipei

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U-17 Men’s Indian Football Team

The U-17 Indian men’s team will be participating in the AFC U17 Asian Cup, with significant fixtures scheduled for early 2026 having secured qualification in Group D. The Blue Colts topped Group D featuring national teams like Iran, Lebanon, Chinese Taipei, and Palestine. India U-17 topped the group with seven points as they had an edge over Iran due to their higher points in head-to-head matches.

Tournaments like AFC U17 Asian Cup offer invaluable experience and a platform for scouting emerging talent from the development teams in the national setup. The tournament performance and individual performance could be a glimpse of how they might fare at the senior national team level.

• May 2026: AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026

India U-20 Women’s Football Team

The India U-20 Women’s Football Team had a remarkably strong run in 2025, showing steady improvement and maturity across the year. They won eight of their 13 matches and, impressively, went through the period with just one defeat. That consistency paid off in the qualifiers, where India booked their AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup spot in convincing fashion by brushing aside Turkmenistan and Myanmar with ease.

Now, the focus shifts to April 2026, when the continental tournament gets underway. Head coach Joakim Alexandersson will be hoping his side can turn heads and challenge expectations on the big stage. That said, the task will be anything but straightforward. India have been drawn into a demanding group featuring traditional powerhouses Japan and Australia, with Chinese Taipei also posing a stern test.

• April 2: Japan U-20 vs India U-20
• April 5: India U-20 vs Australia U-20
• April 8: Chinese Taipei U-20 vs India U-20

U-17 Women’s Indian Football Team

India, for the first time ever, sealed qualification for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup after defeating Uzbekistan 2-1 in their last match of the qualifiers in October 2025. The Young Tigresses finished top of Group G with six points from their group matches and qualified for the continental showcase in China.

India Women U-17 had last featured in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in 2005, when 11 teams participated directly. Qualification helps them join the senior women’s team and the U-20 women’s teams in their continental adventures.

The busy 2026-27 schedule reflects the potential that India has for holistic development of the game across all categories for its adoring fans. With a mix of international tournaments and regular FIFA windows, the focus is on building depth, giving exposure to young players, and enhancing the competitiveness of Indian football on the global stage.

• 30 April – 17 May

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