Table of Contents
A depleted Indian football team will be in action at the Unity Cup 2026, scheduled to start in London, United Kingdom, from Wednesday.
All football matches will be played at The Valley in London, home of English club Charlton Athletic FC. The Unity Cup will be available to watch on live streaming in India.
Ranked 136th in the world, India will take on Jamaica, ranked 71st, in the second semi-final in the wee hours of Thursday. The match will kick off at 12:00 AM IST on May 28.
The Unity Cup 2026 will mark the Indian football team’s first match on British soil since 2002.
According to the tournament format, the winners of the two semi-finals will progress to the final while the losing sides will meet in the third-place play-off.
Apart from India and Jamaica, the competition also features African heavyweights Nigeria, ranked 26th in the world, and Zimbabwe, who are placed 130th.
India have travelled to London with a depleted 20-member contingent after Mohun Bagan Super Giant withdrew seven of their players from the national camp midway through preparations.
Midfielders Lalengmawia Ralte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, goalkeeper Vishal Kaith, defender Abhishek Singh Tekcham and forwards Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco are the Mohun Bagan players who will not be part of Khalid Jamil’s India squad in London.
The withdrawals, coupled with Ashique Kuruniyan’s injury, have particularly left India short of options in midfield with Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Macarton Nickson, Noufal PN, Ricky Shabong as Jamil’s only specialist options.
Of the four, Noufal and Ricky are still to earn a senior national cap. Macarton Nickson – a late addition to the squad – has played only two games while Jeakson has 29 senior national team appearance to his name.
Ryan Williams and Lallianzuala Chhangte will be spearhead India’s forward line while Edmund Lalrindika, fresh off his ISL-winning campaign with East Bengal, will hope to carry the momentum with the national team
The experienced Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan are also in the squad.
Where to watch Unity Cup 2026 live in India
Live streaming of the Unity Cup 2026 football matches will be available to watch in India on FanCode. The tournament will not be telecast live on any TV channels in India.
Unity Cup 2026 schedule
All in Indian Standard Time (IST)
May 27, Wednesday
- Nigeria vs Zimbabwe – 12:00 AM
May 28, Thursday
- Jamaica vs India – 12:00 AM
May 30, Saturday
- Third-place play-off – TBD
- Final – TBD
India football squad for Unity Cup 2026
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Hrithik Tiwari, Albino Gomes
Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh Naorem, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Pramveer, Nikhil Barla
Midfielders: Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Noufal PN, Ricky Shabong, Macarton Nickson
Forwards: Ryan Williams, Edmund Lalrindika, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rahim Ali, Farukh Choudhary
Head coach: Khalid Jamil
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/unity-cup-2026-football-india-schedule-live-streaming
