India Set to Host Uruguay in Kolkata Friendly on October 6

India will host two-time FIFA World Cup champions Uruguay in an international friendly at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on October 6, 2026. The fixture will be the Indian men’s national team’s third high-profile home match during the September-October FIFA international window.

The Uruguay match is scheduled three days after India face five-time World Cup champions Brazil at the same Kolkata venue. Before the two fixtures in Kolkata, India are due to play Panama at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on September 26.

The run of matches gives the Blue Tigers three home friendlies against World Cup-playing nations in one FIFA window. The window runs from September 21 to October 6, with countries permitted to play a maximum of four matches during that period.

Uruguay fixture completes a major home sequence

The All India Football Federation confirmed that Uruguay will travel to Kolkata for the October 6 match. In its announcement, the federation described the game as India’s third high-profile international friendly of the window.

Uruguay are ranked 20th in the FIFA chart, according to the information provided with the fixture announcement. The South American side are two-time World Cup winners and have also reached the competition’s semifinals on three occasions, in 1954, 1970 and 2010.

The source notes that Uruguay made a group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup after drawing 1-1 with Saudi Arabia and 2-2 with Cape Verde, before losing 1-0 to eventual champions Spain. Uruguay were also eliminated in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup.

Diego Forlan is listed as Uruguay’s current head coach. He previously played for Mumbai City FC in 2016, providing an Indian football connection ahead of the Kolkata friendly.

For India, the October 6 contest follows the Brazil match at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Both matches are set for the same stadium, placing two major international fixtures in Kolkata within three days.

Panama will provide the first opponent in this stretch when India play in Bengaluru on September 26. Panama are ranked 44th in the world and also featured at the 2026 World Cup in the Americas, where they exited in the group stage after defeats to Ghana, Croatia and England.

India’s upcoming international schedule

The Panama fixture will mark India’s first appearance in Bengaluru since the SAFF Championship in 2023. India won that tournament on home soil after defeating Kuwait in the final at Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

With Panama, Brazil and Uruguay all scheduled to visit India in the same window, the October programme represents an unusually significant home sequence for the national side and its supporters. The three games are spread across Bengaluru and Kolkata, with the latter staging the Brazil and Uruguay fixtures.

India also have two away matches against New Zealand on the calendar, scheduled for November 12 and November 15. Those games follow the home friendlies announced for the FIFA window.

The immediate focus, however, will be on the October 6 meeting with Uruguay in Kolkata. It closes India’s three-match home run against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, with the AIFF identifying all three visitors as World Cup-playing nations.