Indian football team to undergo a 15-day training camp from August 15

The All India Football Federation has announced that Indian senior men’s football team will undergo a 15-day training camp starting from August 15. The national team is likely to play two international games during the FIFA window August 30-September 7. Conversations are ongoing with a few federations and a confirmation will be made in the coming days, the AIFF said on Wednesday. AIFF has also announced the Indian footballing calendar for the remainder of the 2021 season. International football has been massively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore the AIFF had to reschedule considering many uncertainties and postponements. Meanwhile, the new calendar aims to make up for the action lost in the last 15 months.

The calendar begins with ISL club Bengaluru FC playing its pending AFC Cup qualifier against Club Eagles(Maldives) on August 15. This will be followed by the league stage draw featuring ATK Mohun Bagan starting from August 24-30.

The clubs are expected to commence their pre-season training by the first week of September. The three-week window will end at the end of September. Meanwhile, the national team is likely to reconvene the training camp for the biennial international football event, the SAFF championship, which was postponed twice. The tournament will feature five teams and is likely to start on October 15.

After the SAFF championship, Igor Stimac’s side will start their preparation camp for Group E engagement in AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2022 qualifiers. Meanwhile, the senior team players will return to their respective clubs after the SAFF championship and the U-23 players will be joining the preparatory camp.

And also there will be a FIFA window from January 24 to February 1. The Blue Tigers will start the third round of AFC Cup qualifiers in February 2022 and will play six qualifiers till September 2022.