Indian football team to have a four-week preparatory camp in Bhubaneswar ahead of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

The Indian football team is all set to have a four-week preparatory camp in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, starting on May 10, Friday. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) made the news public on X (formerly Twitter) on April 24, Wednesday.

Furthermore, AIFF also stated that the final squad will head to Kolkata on Sunday, June 2, where the Indian team will lock horns with Kuwait in the penultimate match of the group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers at Salt Lake Stadium.

After the game against Kuwait on June 6, Thursday, the Indian football team will next take on Qatar away from home on June 11, Tuesday.

"India Sr men’s national team will have a 4-week preparatory camp in Bhubaneswar, Odisha starting 10 May 2024. The final squad will move to Kolkata on 2 June, ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait!" AIFF wrote on X.

Indian football team coached by Igor Stimac will look to get back to winning ways

Indian football coached by Igor Stima team will be aiming to recover from their shocking loss over Afghanistan in the last match in Guwahati. Notably, India lost 1-2 to Afghanistan in their last qualifier match in March.

Despite the disappointing defeat, the Indian team is still in contention to make it to the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

India is currently placed in the second spot in the group with four points from four games. The Sunil Chhetri-led side is just ahead of Afghanistan on goal difference.

It’s important to note that the top two teams at the end of the Round 2 will advance to the third round. India has never qualified for Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

After the loss against Afghanistan, the committee constituted by the AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey held a discussion with Stimac to clarify his statement about resigning if India failed to qualify for Round 3 of the FIFA WC Qualifiers 2026.

After fruitful discussions with the AIFF committee members, the coach was told to focus on the games ahead and plan his preparation accordingly.