India Host Panama in Bengaluru Tonight in First-Ever Meeting Between the Nations

India host Panama at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, in what will be the first-ever senior men's meeting between the two nations, and the opening fixture of a demanding international window for the Blue Tigers.

The friendly was originally scheduled for September 26 but the AIFF brought it forward by a day to avoid a clash with the Bengaluru Marathon. Kickoff is at 7:30pm IST. India arrive winless in four matches and have slipped to 138th in the FIFA rankings, having lost to Jamaica, Zimbabwe and Tajikistan before drawing a second meeting with Tajikistan. Head coach Khalid Jamil has named a 26-player squad, with Ryan Williams expected to lead the attack and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in contention in goal, while Lallianzuala Chhangte has been left out.

Panama, ranked 44th in the world, arrive fresh from their 2026 World Cup appearance, where they were eliminated at the group stage. Coach Thomas Christiansen's squad has been depleted by staggered travel and injury withdrawals, including defender Jose Cordoba. The match is the first of three high-profile friendlies for India this window, who go on to face Brazil and Uruguay in Kolkata in October.