Khalid Jamil Announces India’s Preliminary Squad for Unity Cup 2026
Jamil confirms 28-man shortlist for Unity Cup
The Indian national football team’s next assignment comes in the form of the 2026 Unity Cup, which will kick off on May 28 at The Valley in London, and we will be covering all the action from the tournament in our in-depth football predictions.
The Blue Tigers will face Jamaica in the first semi-final, with the winner moving on to face either Zimbabwe or Nigeria in the grand final. The Super Eagles are the reigning champions, having beaten the Raggae Boyz in last year’s final at the Gtech Community Stadium.
In preparation for the tournament, India’s head coach Khalid Jamil has announced a preliminary list of 28 players who will gather in Bengaluru to commence training next week. The final team selection will follow, with only 23 players set to travel to London. Jamil said in an interview last week:
“We have selected the 28 players for the preliminary squad, as per their performances in the ongoing ISL. We will have a couple of days to assess them before we pick the final 23."
Experienced names like Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jinghan, Rahul Bheke and Lalengmawia Ralte have all been included, while rising stars Ricky Shabong, Suhail Ahmad Bhat and Hrithik Tiwari have also made the preliminary cut.
The Unity Cup also serves as crucial preparation for upcoming FIFA tournaments for India, including the SAFF Championship later this year. The Blue Tigers have had a tough few years and slipped to 136th place in FIFA’s latest world standings.
