India U23 men's national team head coach Naushad Moosa has announced the 23-member squad that will compete in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Doha, Qatar. The team is set to face Bahrain on September 3rd, followed by hosts Qatar on September 6th, and Brunei Darussalam on September 9th.
Moosa emphasized the importance of taking each match at a time, highlighting the crucial nature of the opening game against Bahrain. He believes securing three points in the first match will be vital for understanding the team's current standing and building momentum for the rest of the qualifiers. He stressed the need for the team to focus on playing good football, maintaining focus, and avoiding conceding goals.
The India U23 squad had recently participated in two closed-door friendly matches against Iraq U23 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Despite losing both matches, with scores of 1-2 and 1-3, Moosa remains optimistic about the experience gained by the team. He believes that playing against a top side like Iraq U23 has instilled confidence and character within the Blue Colts, giving them belief in their abilities.
The India U23 team arrived in Doha, Qatar on August 30th and held their first training session on the same evening.
The 23-member squad is as follows:
Team officials:
The group winners and the four best second-placed teams from the 11 groups will qualify for the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026.
These matches serve as crucial preparation for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers. Earlier in June 2025, India U23 also played friendly matches against Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic. These matches took place at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor and TALCO Arena in Tursunzoda respectively.
