Which Indian-origin players will represent different countries in the FIFA World Cup 2026? What is the background of Indian-origin players Sarpreet Singh, Tahseen Mohammed, Nishan Velupillai and Samuel Muttusamy? Why is the return of players of Indian origin in the FIFA World Cup after 20 years being considered special?
New Delhi: Even though the Indian football team could not qualify for the FIFA World Cup, there is a good news for the fans. This time four players of Indian origin will be seen playing in the World Cup. These four players are part of teams from different countries. The 24th FIFA World Cup will be played from June 12 to July 19 in America, Mexico and Canada. A total of 48 teams are participating in it. These players of Indian origin are included in the teams of New Zealand, Qatar, Australia and Congo Republic. Let us know about these four players.
Sarpreet Singh (New Zealand)
Sarpreet’s parents are from Punjab, but he was born in Auckland, New Zealand. 27-year-old Sarpreet has played against India in Mumbai in 2018. He has also played Under-20 FIFA World Cup for New Zealand in 2017 and 2019.
Tahseen Mohammed (Qatar)
Tahseen’s father Jamshed hails from Kerala and is also a former football player. Jamshed moved to Qatar in 2006. His son Tahseen made his debut for Qatar in 2024 at the age of just 18. Now he is part of the World Cup team.
Nishan Velupillai (Australia)
Nishan was born in Melbourne. His mother is Anglo-Indian and father is Malaysian of Sri Lankan Tamil origin. Nishan got a chance to play for Australia in 2024. He has played a total of 7 matches so far.
Samuel Mutusami (Republic of Congo)
Muthusamy’s father is from Tamil Nadu, India, while his mother is from the Republic of Congo. He was born in France. He has been playing for Congo since 2019. He has also played for clubs in France and Türkiye.
Players of Indian origin will be seen after 20 years
Players of Indian origin will be seen in the FIFA World Cup after 20 years. Earlier in 2006, Vikas Dhorasu had played for the French team. This is happening for the first time after that.