3 min readUpdated: Sep 10, 2026 12:20 AM IST
Real Madrid stars Vinicius jr and Endrick, Barcelona forward Raphinha, Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes and Paris St Germain captain Marquinhos are among the star names announced by Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti on Wednesday for their upcoming friendly against India. The match is scheduled to be played on October 3 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
While it will arguably be the biggest game ever played on Indian soil and the highest-ranked opposition that the country’s men’s football team has ever faced, this will be the final stop for Brazil in their first set of international games after a disappointing World Cup campaign earlier this year. The five-time world champions will face Australia in two matches on September 25 in Townsville and on September 29 in Brisbane. The India visit will be their third match of the window.
Brazil will be the highest-ranked opposition India have ever faced since the FIFA rankings were introduced in 1992. (Reuters Photo)Ancelotti had earlier signalled his intention to start trying out new players as Brazil begin their buildup to the 2030 World Cup. He had stated that midfielders Casemiro and Danilo would no longer be part of his plans while former captain Neymar had announced his international retirement earlier. All three players are absent in the 26-man squad that was named on Thursday.
26 CONVOCADOS! 🇧🇷
A Seleção está pronta para novos desafios: dois jogos contra a Austrália e o primeiro confronto da história contra a Índia.
25/09 | Austrália
29/09 | Austrália
03/10 | ÍndiaISSO É BRASIL! 🇧🇷#BateNoPeito pic.twitter.com/Yht5SuOHjr
— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) September 9, 2026
The friendly against Brazil is one of three high-profile friendlies that the Indian men’s team will be playing in the upcoming international window. The first of them would be against Panama in Bengaluru on September 25, followed by the match against Brazil in Kolkata. The third of these friendlies will be against two-time World Cup winners Uruguay on October 6 at the Salt Lake Stadium.
The Uruguay and Panama matches were added to AIFF’s calendar after India withdrew from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup in order to prioritise their friendly against Brazil, thus avoiding a scheduling clash that had made their participation in both competitions untenable.
India were invited to participate in the inaugural edition of the FIFA ASEAN Cup in June. Indonesia were named hosts, with India drawn alongside the hosts, Singapore and Malaysia. On 30 July, however, AIFF announced a friendly against Brazil, which will be played in Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on 3 October.
BRAZIL SQUAD:
GoalKeepers: Hugo Sauza, Pedro Morisco, Otavio
Defenders: Otavio, Arthur Dias, Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jair, Marquinhos, Matheuzinho, Mauro jr, Vitor Reis, Wesley
Midfielders: Andrey Santos, Breno Bidon, Bruno Guimaraes, Danilo Santos, Douglas Luiz, Gabriel Bontempo,
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Attackers: Endrick, Estevao, Joao Pedro, Pedro, Raphinha, Rayan, Samuel Lino, Vinicius jr.