India face Panama in their first-ever meeting at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium, with Khalid Jamil’s side set for a major test against the World Cup-experienced visitors.

The Blue Tigers are set to embark on a challenging tour, starting with their first match against FIFA-ranked Panama at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The Central American team recently competed in the latest World Cup, gaining valuable experience. Their last international match took place on June 27, 2026, in the FIFA World Cup, where they lost to England. This will be the first time India faces Panama.

As the day has arrived, many of the big names in Indian football concluded that these three matches will raise Indian football standards. On the other hand, Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti also took a dig at Indian Football, saying, “India does not have any football culture.”

While India chose to play the FIFA friendlies rather than play in the AFC Asian Cup, these matches will be a real test for Indian football and its infrastructure.

India will face Panama in a friendly on Friday, September 25, at 7:30 PM. The match will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network and streamed live on SonyLIV.

What did the Indian head coach say?

The challenge is significant, but Jamil wants his players to seize the opportunity instead of feeling intimidated by the visitors’ ranking and World Cup experience.

“It is our pleasure to play with a team of their caliber. They have a quality coach and good players, so we are looking forward to playing with them,” the India head coach said at the pre-match press conference on Thursday.

India must remain compact against a strong opponent, but Jamil emphasised his team cannot spend the entire game defending.

“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,”.

Panama will be the second CONCACAF nation India will play this year, having played Jamaica earlier, in the Unity Cup.

India predicted lineup to play Panama

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK) – Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Abhishek Singh Tekcham – Lalengmawia Ralte, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad – Mohammed Sanan, Ryan Williams, Manvir Singh

Panama predicted lineup to play India

Orlando Mosquera (GK) – Amir Murillo, José Córdoba, Andrés Andrade, Jorge Gutiérrez – Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martínez, José Luis Rodríguez – Azarías Londoño, Tomás Rodríguez, José Fajardo