The Indian football team ended their 2025-26 season on a sour note after a 1-1 draw against Tajikistan at the Hisor Central Stadium on Tuesday (June 9), which meant they finished the May-June international break without a single victory to their name and have just one win to their name since September last year.
The Blue Tigers looked set for a rare win after Vikram Pratap Singh capitalized on an error by the Tajik goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov in the 25th minute. Vikram scored from close range after Yatimov could not hold onto a free kick that was fired right after him. The two teams went into half-time with India leading 1-0.
India held onto the lead for an hour before they conceded a penalty, which Sheriddin Boboev converted to equalise in the 85th minute for the hosts. No more goals were scored in the match despite seven minutes being added on.
India’s Disappointing International Break
Since the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season ended at midday, India played four games but registered no victories. However, today’s result came as a positive, as they managed to end a three-match losing streak. This was the second of two matches in a week between India and Tajikistan in Hisor. The hosts won the opening fixture 3-1 on Friday (June 5).
Earlier, the Indian team traveled to England after 24 years to play a competitive football match for the 2026 Unity Cup. However, they lost both games, which were played in the last week of May. The Asian side lost the semi-final to Jamaica 2-0 before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Zimbabwe in the three-place playoffs.
Pressure Builds On Khalid Jamil?
After an impressive start with a third-place finish in the CAFA Nations Cup, India has struggled to get results under Jamid. In fact, the Indian team has played 11 games in his tenure and won only three (two outright, one on penalties). The only victory post the end of the 2026 CAFA came in March against Hong Kong in a dead rubber match of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifications.
Khalid took charge in the middle of India’s qualification campaign, and defeats to Singapore and Bangladesh in his first two competitive games led to the team failing to qualify for the mega event for the first time since it was expanded to a 24-team event.
However, he has been given a hard deal, as seven players from Mohun Bagan were not allowed to participate in the national camp in these last four games. A similar situation occurred during the CAFA Nations Cup too. Moreover, he walked into the job with India’s Asian Cup qualification already in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, India’s world ranking is set to fall further from the current low of 136.
When Do India Play Next?
There is no confirmation of India’s next match, but it will likely be during the September international break. The next assignment loading for the team is likely to be the SAFF Championships in November. Meanwhile, the team does not have any competitive fixtures until mid-2027, when the qualification event for the 2030 FIFA World Cup and 2031 AFC Asian Cup starts.