Indian Football
Gourav Samal
After the conclusion of an exciting season of Indian football, we now move to June where the Indian men’s football team will try their luck for qualifying to the next round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. 
Moreover, there will be just one more match other than the Indian men’s football team’s fixture against Kuwait in the first week of June. The Indian women’s national football team will face the Uzbekistan national women’s football team in the second friendly tie.
The first week of this month will also witness the Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri playing his farewell game against Kuwait, as he has announced his retirement from international football. This is going to be his 151st appearance for the national team he has already scored 94 goals for his side. 
His exclusion from the side will be a huge talking point in the footballing circuit as he has been the pillar of the team for a long time and has carried most of the matches on his shoulders. 
The Indian team will face Kuwait in the next game of their second round of 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. They have already defeated their counterpart in the first leg match by a 1-0 goal, which also remains their only win in the group stage fixtures as they have faced defeat against Qatar and Afghanistan. They now hold the second spot in the group, behind Qatar with four points from four matches. 
India started their campaign in the second round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers with a win against Kuwait in November 2023. It was followed by a defeat against Qatar at the Kalinga Stadium by 3-0 goals. Since then, they haven’t managed a single win. In their next match, they settled for a draw against Afghanistan in a goalless encounter, while their second leg match against the same team ended with a loss with 1-0 goals.
June 6: India vs Kuwait (Salt Lake Stadium)
The Indian football women’s national football team is on a tour to Uzbekistan for two friendly matches against the Uzbekistan national women’s football team. After losing the first match by 3-0 goals, they will look at least for a draw before returning to India. 
This was the Indian football women’s team’s second loss against Uzbekistan in seven months. In November 2024, they also faced a defeat with 3-0 goals in the second round of the Women’s Olympic Asia Qualifiers. 
June 4: India vs Uzbekistan (Dustlik Stadium)
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