Brazil to Play India in Kolkata

Sports Desk

A unique and golden chapter in the history of Indian football is about to begin. Five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil will be playing on Indian soil for the first time. The Seleção will face hosts India in an international friendly match at the historic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October 3. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) have jointly confirmed the high-voltage match.

There have been many rumors about the Brazilian team’s tour of India for quite some time. Finally, ending all the speculations, the official announcement from the CBF has made Indian football fans happy. The initial discussions to organize this match started during the FIFA World Cup 2026. The CBF was particularly interested in organizing this friendly match mainly because of the skyrocketing popularity of the Brazilian team in India and the enthusiasm of the fans across the country.

The CBF said in their official statement, “After the friendly matches in Australia, our next destination will be India, where we will write an unprecedented chapter in our history. On October 3, the national team will take to the field for the first time on Indian soil at the Salt Lake Stadium. It will be a special encounter with a country that has the largest international fanbase of the Brazilian national team.”

India will face their highest-ranked opponent since the FIFA World Rankings were introduced in 1992. Brazil is currently ranked fifth in the world rankings. Led by captain Marquinhos and featuring world-class stars like Casemiro and Mateusz Cunha, the Seleção team will be in India. They will play two friendly matches against Australia in September before arriving in Kolkata.
Brazilian football has a long-standing love affair with Kolkata. When Pele came to Kolkata to play against Mohun Bagan for the New York Cosmos in 1977, that historic moment is still a legend in Indian football. In addition, the streets of Kolkata were decorated with the yellow-green flag of Brazil during the recent World Cup.

AIFF Deputy General Secretary M. Satyanarayana called the match a ‘watershed moment’ for Indian football. On the other hand, national team director Subrata Paul believes that such matches will go a long way in giving the country’s young footballers the mentality and confidence to compete on the world stage.

All in all, it goes without saying that the Yuva Bharati Sports Complex in Kolkata is going to become a historic and festive grand stage on October 3rd.