GUWAHATI: A total of 12 players from the Northeast are in the 26-member preparation squad of the Indian football team for the 2026 FIFA world cup.
Parthib Sundar Gogoi, hailing from Assam, has been named among 11 other footballers from the Northeast in the preliminary 26-player roster for the Indian football team’s upcoming Bhubaneswar training camp.
This camp serves as preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 matches against Kuwait and Qatar.
Head coach Igor Stimac has revealed the initial group of 26 players, with another list expected soon.
The Northeast players selected for the camp include Lalchungnunga, Edmund Lalrindika, and Isak Vanlalruatfela from Mizoram, along with Roshan Singh Naorem, Imran Khan, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Mohammad Yasir, Suresh Singh Wangjam, David Lalhlansanga, and Jerry Lalrinzuala from Manipur.
Preparations are slated to commence in Odisha’s capital on May 10, as the Blue Tigers gear up to take on Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6, followed by a clash against Qatar in Doha on June 11.
Currently occupying the second position in Group A with four points from four matches, India aims to secure qualification for Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, with hopes of securing a berth in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.
The initial list of 26 probables for the Bhubaneswar camp is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Defenders: Amey Ganesh Ranawade, Jay Gupta, Lalchungnunga (Mizoram), Muhammad Hammad, Narender, Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh Naorem (Manipur).
Midfielders: Brandon Fernandes, Edmund Lalrindika (Mizoram), Imran Khan (Manipur), Isak Vanlalruatfela (Mizoram), Jeakson Singh Thounaojam (Manipur), Mahesh Singh Naorem (Manipur), Mohammad Yasir (Manipur), Nandhakumar Sekar, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Suresh Singh Wangjam (Manipur), Vibin Mohanan.
Forwards: David Lalhlansanga (Manipur), Jithin Madathil Subran, Jerry Lalrinzuala (Mizoram), Parthib Sundar Gogoi (Assam), Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri.