India will begin a demanding run of international friendlies when they face Panama at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, September 25. The fixture marks the first-ever senior international meeting between the two countries and gives Khalid Jamil’s side an immediate examination against opposition that featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The match will kick off at 7:30 PM IST. It will be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network and Sony Aath, while viewers can stream the game on Sony LIV. Tickets for the Bengaluru fixture have been made available through District.
The game was originally scheduled for September 26 before being brought forward by a day. It nevertheless remains the opening assignment in a formidable sequence for India, who are also due to face Brazil on October 3 and Uruguay on October 6.
India face a sizeable step up in quality
The gulf on paper is considerable. India are ranked 138th in the FIFA rankings, while Panama sit 44th, leaving 94 places between the teams.
Panama also arrive with recent World Cup experience. They qualified for the 2026 tournament unbeaten, winning seven and drawing three of their 10 qualifying matches while scoring 19 goals. Their World Cup campaign ended in the group stage after defeats against Ghana, Croatia and England, but they conceded only four goals across those three matches.
Thomas Christiansen has named a 27-man squad for Panama’s Asian tour, with 14 members of their World Cup squad included. Among their more established names are Adalberto Carrasquilla, Amir Murillo, José Córdoba, Carlos Harvey, José Fajardo, César Blackman and Andrés Andrade.
Christiansen acknowledged before the match that Panama would enter as favourites on paper, but the fixture offers India an opportunity to measure themselves against a side accustomed to facing significantly higher-ranked opposition.
India, meanwhile, enter the contest on a four-match winless run. Since beating Hong Kong 2-1 in March, they have lost to Jamaica, Zimbabwe and Tajikistan before drawing 1-1 with Tajikistan.
Jamil has nevertheless indicated that India will not approach the game merely as an exercise in containment. “We are playing against a strong team. But at the same time, you cannot defend every time. So, we will mix defence and attack. We will react according to the situation,” the India head coach said ahead of the fixture.
India’s 26-man squad includes Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lalengmawia Ralte, Manvir Singh and Ryan Williams, while Anirudh Thapa has returned to the national set-up after an absence of around two years.
The midfield also contains younger options such as Macarton Nickson and Mohammed Sanan, giving Jamil scope to balance experience with players attempting to establish themselves at senior international level.
Kanteerava itself carries happier recent memories for India. The national team last played there during the 2023 SAFF Championship, remaining unbeaten across five matches on their way to the title. India scored eight goals and conceded only twice during that tournament before defeating Kuwait on penalties in the final.
Gurpreet, in particular, knows the venue intimately through his club career, while Williams also plays his domestic football there. Panama, however, represent a very different challenge from the teams India encountered during that SAFF campaign. Friday’s fixture will be India’s eighth different CONCACAF opponent and their 15th match against a team from the confederation. Their previous 14 such matches have produced two victories, two draws and 10 defeats.
India vs Panama: Key details
Match: India vs Panama
Date: September 25, 2026
Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru
Kick-off: 7:30 PM IST
Live TV: Sony Sports Network, Sony Aath
Live streaming: Sony LIV
India FIFA ranking: 138
Panama FIFA ranking: 44
Head-to-head: First meeting