Tajikistan Test Awaits Indian Football Team In CAFA Nations Cup Opener

India begin their campaign against co-hosts Tajikistan in their first-ever CAFA Nations Cup participation in Hisor, Tajikistan on Friday, far away from the turmoil the clubs of the 23-member squad have been facing due to the uncertainty over the future of the Indian Super League (ISL). Newly-appointed head coach Khalid Jamil's task is cut out as he is taking the eight-nation tournament, mostly consisting of Central Asian countries, as preparation for the more crucial Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore on October 9 and 14. Jamil also had to come here without Mohun Bagan Super Giant players, seven of whom were not released by the club on the grounds that the tournament does not strictly fall within the FIFA international match window.

Star striker Sunil Chhetri was also left out after Jamil spoke to him "as it is just a preparatory tournament" for the more important Asian Cup qualifiers.

Head Coach Khalid Jamil announces his squad for the #CAFANationsCup 2025!#IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/wv7boyUAFE

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 25, 2025

All the 23 players are from ISL clubs, some of whom have either stopped payments or operations of their first teams after the organizers, FSDL, put the top-tier league on hold in a decision on July 11 due to the non-renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA) signed in 2010 with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), set to expire on December 8. India have been placed in Group B, and after Friday, they face Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4.

Group A, meanwhile, consists of co-hosts Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Oman.

The top teams from each group will play each other in the final, while the two second-placed teams will face off in the third-place match, both to be played on September 8.

Jamil sounded satisfied with his side's 10-day preparatory camp in Bengaluru preceding the tournament.

“We had good preparation for the CAFA Nations Cup. Every player worked hard before coming here. It is a pleasure for us to participate in this tournament,” he said at the pre-match press conference.

India and Tajikistan have played each other five times in the past, with the Central Asian country winning three. The Blue Tigers' only win against Tajikistan came in the AFC Challenge Cup 2008 final, where India defeated the Persian Lions 4-1.

That result was 18 years ago, and Tajikistan (106th in FIFA rankings) are a different side now. Jamil is fully aware of the threats that the opponents pose to India (133rd in FIFA rankings), but is more focused on the Blue Tigers playing their own game.

“Yes, we know about them (Tajikistan). They are a strong side and have done well recently. But we must focus on our own game and be mentally prepared,” said Jamil.

“It is important for us to play as a unit and keep improving every match. The process will take time. We want to focus on both the juniors and the seniors to build a strong unit for future matches.” The India head coach stressed the importance of spreading positivity in the team.

“We must think fresh, we must think positively. Yes, this is an away game against a good team, but we have to prepare accordingly and think only of one thing – a positive result. All the players must take responsibility. I feel that we are ready to accept this challenge." India goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari, who accompanied his coach at the press conference, said, “We have trained hard over the last few weeks, and our camp in Bengaluru gave us an intense 10 days to get ready for the CAFA Nations Cup. I am sure everyone is excited to play in this tournament and ready to give their best.”

Topics mentioned in this article

India Football