India to face Panama in FIFA Men's international friendly on September 26

New Delhi [India], August 25 (ANI): The Indian senior men's national football team will host Panama in an international friendly on September 26 during the FIFA Men's International Match Window, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Tuesday.
According to a media release from AIFF, the venue for the fixture will be confirmed at a later date.
The match will be India's first-ever meeting with Panama and will give Khalid Jamil's side another opportunity to test themselves against a nation that featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Panama are currently ranked 44th in the FIFA World Rankings and will be only the ninth different CONCACAF opponent India have faced in their history.
AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said the fixture would provide valuable exposure to the Indian players ahead of their high-profile clash against Brazil in October.
"Playing against Panama will be a tough battle ahead of the Brazil game. Panama is a top-50 team in the world, and it will be a good test for Khalid Jamil's boys. We are looking forward to our players getting the right exposure, and we normally don't get to play such World Cup teams. So it's a good FIFA window for us, where we are playing such tough teams," he said.
The Panama fixture is currently set to be the first of four matches India will play against teams that featured at this summer's World Cup. Brazil will visit Kolkata on October 3, while New Zealand are scheduled to face India twice on November 12 and 15.
India's clash against Brazil will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata and will mark the first meeting between the two nations in men's senior international football.
Five-time world champions Brazil are currently ranked fifth in the world, making them the highest-ranked opponents India will have faced since the FIFA World Ranking system was introduced in 1992.
Brazil are scheduled to play Australia on September 25 and another friendly in Brisbane on September 29 before travelling to India for the October 3 fixture.
For India, the upcoming FIFA windows provide an opportunity to test themselves against higher-ranked opposition as the Blue Tigers continue their preparations under head coach Khalid Jamil. (ANI)