Central Asian Football Association: Khalid Jamil has named his 23-member squad for the CAFA Nations Cup, with goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu returning to the mix.
The Indian senior men’s national team are participating in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup 2025, starting from August 29, after Malaysia withdrew from the tournament due to logistical challenges and the unavailability of players.
India have been placed in Group B, which will be played in Dushanbe. India will play host Tajikistan (August 29), Iran (September 1), and Afghanistan (September 4).
Notably, the CAFA Nations Cup will be Jamil’s first chance to see his team in action ahead of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
“My doors are always open to every player. The CAFA Nations Cup will be an excellent opportunity for us to test our players against quality teams. Some players may not be in the squad right now because I want to try a few other less-tested ones, but rest assured, we will bring our best available squad for the Asian Cup qualifiers,” Jamil had said.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the play-off stage, which will see two matches being played on September 8. The third-place match will be played between the two group runners-up in Dushanbe, while the two group winners will play the final in Tashkent.
CAFA has six members - Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kygryz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Oman and India are the two invited sides for the second edition of the CAFA Nations Cup. Iran are the defending champions, having beaten Uzbekistan 1-0 in the 2023 final.
India squad for CAFA Nations Cup:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Hrithik Tiwari
Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Naorem Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Muhammed Uvais
Midfielders: Nikhil Prabhu, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Danish Farooq Bhat, Jeakson Singh, Boris Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan, Udanta Singh, Naorem Mahesh Singh
Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Naorem Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Muhammed Uvais
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Head coach: Khalid Jamil