India’s Football Friendly Against Cape Verde Unlikely? Report Reveals ‘Commercial’ Reason

India are unlikely to face Cape Verde in a football friendly match during the September-October FIFA international window, according to a report by Times Now. The report claimed that although the All India Football Federation (AIFF) were looking to organise a match against Cape Verde ahead of the much-anticipated Brazil clash, no agreement was reached between the two parties. Sources close to the development told the publication that it is highly likely that the proposed friendly match will not happen after both parties failed to reach an agreement on the “commercial side”.

“There is a 5 per cent chance, and I don’t think they will be coming.”

“It is due to both parties not reaching an agreement on the commercial side,” the source said.

Meanwhile, India will host Panama in an international friendly on September 26 during the FIFA men’s international window, with the venue for the match to be announced later, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Tuesday.

The match will be the first meeting between the two sides and only the ninth different CONCACAF opponent India have faced. Panama, ranked 44th in the latest FIFA standings, featured at the 2026 World Cup and will provide Khalid Jamil’s side with a strong test.

The fixture is currently scheduled to be the first of four matches India will play against nations that featured at this summer’s World Cup in 2026. The Blue Tigers are slated to face Brazil on October 3 and New Zealand on November 12 and 15.

“Playing against Panama will be a tough battle ahead of the Brazil game. Panama are a top-50 team in the world, and it will be a good test for Khalid Jamil’s boys,” AIFF Deputy Secretary General M Satyanarayan said.

“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 added. 

(With PTI inputs)

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