How has India fared against FIFA’s top 50?
India next three games are against opponents that played in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Indian football is entering a crucial international window in the September-October period, with the eyes of football fans across the nation, including many who do not regularly follow the ISL or NT matches, turning heads towards the Blue Tigers.
A country that is mocked by its own people every four years for its struggles in the sport and failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, now has fans eagerly waiting to see how Khalid Jamil and his boys will perform during this window.
You might be wondering why there is suddenly so much interest in the national team across the country. The reason is that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has finally woken up, just a few months before the elections, to arrange three high-profile friendlies against top nations, including Brazil, after withdrawing from the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.
Khalid Jamil and his boys will begin the September-October international window with a game against Panama in Bengaluru on September 26, before travelling to Kolkata.
At the Salt Lake Stadium, the Indian national team will play two more friendlies on October 3 and October 6 against Brazil and Uruguay respectively.
A fresh challenge awaits the Blue Tigers
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All three nations are currently ranked inside the top 50 of the FIFA World Rankings. Brazil are ranked fifth, Uruguay 20th, while Panama are ranked 44th. Add up the rankings of all three nations and India still remains far behind, with the Blue Tigers currently ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings- a complete mismatch on paper, to say the least.
However, the path towards climbing higher in the FIFA rankings for Khalid Jamil and his boys begins with facing these high-profile opponents. Instead of worrying about the results, the Blue Tigers must focus on gaining experience and learning from these encounters.
But has India played such games before?
By that, we mean, have the Blue Tigers previously faced nations ranked inside the FIFA top 50? Let’s find out India’s H2H records against these countries and look at some of the key results from those encounters.
India’s H2H Record Against Teams in the FIFA Top 50
| Opponent | FIFA Ranking | Games Played | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Morocco | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Japan | 17 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| Uruguay | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Iran | 22 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Australia | 28 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| South Korea | 32 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 |
| Poland | 36 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Hungary | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cameroon | 43 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Peru | 50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | – | 73 | 16 | 7 | 50 |
Argentina (FIFA Ranking 2)
India have played Argentina just once, with the meeting coming in the 1984 Nehru Cup, hosted by India in Kolkata. The Blue Tigers suffered a 1-0 defeat late in the game, despite their best efforts to hold on for a draw, with Ricardo Gareca scoring the winner around the 80th minute.
Morocco (FIFA Ranking 6)
Morocco’s only meeting with India came in the 1985 Nehru Cup, which was hosted in Kochi. The Blue Tigers suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat, with Fakhreddine Rajhy scoring the only goal for Morocco. The Moroccans eventually finished third in the competition.
Japan (FIFA Ranking 17)
Playing in the same confederation, the AFC, India and Japan have faced each other 18 times in all competitions, with their most recent meeting coming in the 2006 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. The Blue Tigers have registered six wins, all of which came in the Merdeka Tournament or in the Asian Games.
India’s first win came in the 1954 Asian Games, when the Blue Tigers defeated Japan 3-2, with Syed Moinuddin scoring a brace to help India win the match. Despite the win, India was not able to win the group to move to the knockout rounds of the games. Two other two victories came in the 1966 and 1968 editions of the Merdeka Cup, with India scoring four goals and conceding none across the two games.
Between 1964 and 1968, India remained unbeaten against Japan across their four meetings in the Merdeka Cup. However, since then, the Blue Tigers have lost 9 of their subsequent 10 encounters.
Uruguay (FIFA Ranking 20)
India’s only meeting with the Uruguay senior team came in the 1982 Nehru Cup, where P.K. Banerjee’s side suffered a 3-1 defeat. Manas Bhattacharjee scored India’s lone goal before half-time, but La Celeste proved too strong for the Blue Tigers and eventually secured a 3-1 victory.
In the 2001 Sahara Cup, Sukhwinder Singh’s India faced Uruguay once again, although the South Americans sent their reserve side instead of the first team. Even so, they comfortably defeated India 3-0.
The two sides will go head-to-head again this October at the legendary Salt Lake Stadium. Can India register their first-ever win against Uruguay? On paper, it may seem impossible, but dreaming is free, and as Indian football fans, we should continue to dream of a potential upset.
Iran (FIFA Ranking 22)
Iran, the three-time AFC Asian Cup champions, have faced the Blue Tigers nine times since their first meeting in 1951. India have won twice, with both victories coming during the golden era of Indian football.
The first came in the 1951 Asian Games, where India defeated Iran 1-0 to win the Gold Medal. The second victory came in the 1960 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, when Syed Abdul Rahim’s side defeated Iran 3-1, with Chuni Goswami and Tulsidas Balaram among the goalscorers.
The most recent meeting between the two nations came in the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup, where Khalid Jamil’s boys suffered a 3-0 defeat.
Australia (FIFA Ranking 28)
India’s first meeting with Australia came in an international friendly in 1938, during the Blue Tigers’ first-ever foreign tour. India played five friendly games against the Socceroos, winning one, drawing one and losing three. The draw was a thrilling 4-4 encounter.
Across those five games, both sides scored a staggering 34 goals, averaging almost seven goals per game.
Since then, the two sides have met three more times. The first was a memorable 7-1 victory for India in 1958, with P.K. Banerjee, Neville D’Souza and Tulsidas Balaram all scoring braces. The other two meetings came more recently, in the 2011 and 2024 AFC Asian Cups. On both occasions, the Blue Tigers suffered defeats, losing 4-0 and 2-0 respectively.
South Korea (FIFA Ranking 32)
Among the current top 50 nations in the FIFA rankings, India have faced South Korea the most, with 24 meetings between the two sides. However, the Blue Tigers also have the second most wins against the Tigers of Asia, with five victories.
Between 1962 and 1964, India defeated South Korea three times. The first victory came in the 1962 Asian Games gold medal match, where the Blue Tigers secured a 2-1 victory. India then defeated South Korea 2-0 in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup before securing another 2-1 win in the Merdeka Cup later that year.
India’s fifth & last victory came in the 1986 Merdeka Cup, where the Blue Tigers defeated South Korea 4-3 in an intense encounter, with Krishanu Dey scoring a brace.
The last meeting between the two sides came in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Sunil Chhetri got on the scoresheet for the Blue Tigers, but South Korea eventually won 4-1, with Son Heung-min also scoring his first international goal.
Poland (FIFA Ranking 36)
The Blues’s only clash against Poland came in the 1984 Nehru Cup, which was held in Kolkata. It was the opening game of the tournament, with Poland taking an early two-goal lead. Although Biswajit Bhattacharya pulled one back for the Blue Tigers, Poland eventually secured a 2-1 victory.
Poland went on to win the tournament, defeating China in the final, while India finished at the bottom of the table with just one point from five games.
#39 Hungary
India’s only meeting with Hungary came in the 1991 Nehru Cup, where the European side eventually finished as runners-up.
The group-stage clash between the two nations ended in a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat for the Blue Tigers. India had taken a 1-0 lead into half-time, thanks to a goal from C.V. Pappachan in Kochi, but Hungary completed the comeback in the second half.
Cameroon (FIFA Ranking 43)
India have lost just once in the four games they have played against Cameroon, a record that may come as a surprise to many football fans across the nation. The first two meetings between the sides came in the 1993 Nehru Cup, which was held in Chennai.
The hosts remained unbeaten in both of their group-stage encounters against Cameroon, drawing 1-1 and 2-2. I.M. Vijayan was among the goalscorers for the Blue Tigers.
The two sides met again in the 2012 Nehru Cup in Delhi. While Cameroon secured a narrow 1-0 victory in the group-stage encounter, the Blue Tigers got their revenge in the final, defeating the African side 5-4 on penalties.
Gouramangi Singh and Sunil Chhetri were among the goalscorers during normal time, while Clifford Miranda scored the winning penalty in the shootout.
Peru (FIFA Ranking 50)
India’s only senior international friendly against Peru came in 1986 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, where the Blue Tigers suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat in a closely contested encounter.
Franco Navarro’s strike proved to be the difference between the two sides as Peru held on to their lead until the referee’s final whistle.
What is the current FIFA ranking of the Indian NT?
The Blue Tigers are currently placed 138th in the global FIFA rankings.
What is the schedule for India in the upcoming international window?
Khalid Jamil’s side will begin the September-October international window with a game against Panama on September 26, followed by friendlies on October 3 and October 6 against Brazil and Uruguay.
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