On Saturday 3 October 2026, Brazil face India at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, better known as Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata. The kick-off is listed at 7:30 pm IST on the District ticketing page, and the live telecast is on Sony Sports Network with streaming on SonyLIV. It is a FIFA international friendly and the first time the two senior men's teams have met.
This page covers the Brazil game only: the match facts, who Brazil are bringing, tickets, TV and the history. For India's other games this window, the squad and the November tour, see our India fixtures guide. Where two sources disagree, we say so.
India vs Brazil: match facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Match | India v Brazil, FIFA international friendly |
| Date | Saturday 3 October 2026 |
| Kick-off | 7:30 pm IST, per District and ESPN (some early reports said 7 pm) |
| Gates open | 3 pm, per District |
| Venue | Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium), Kolkata |
| India head coach | Khalid Jamil |
| Brazil head coach | Carlo Ancelotti |
| TV | Sony Sports Network |
| Streaming | SonyLIV |
| Tickets | District app or website (choose Kolkata) |
| Next game | India v Uruguay, Tuesday 6 October, same venue, 7:30 pm IST |
Why this match matters
The All India Football Federation says Brazil, fifth in the FIFA rankings at the time of the announcement, are the highest-ranked opposition India have faced since the rankings began in 1992. India and Brazil have never played each other at senior men's level before. The AIFF has called it potentially one of the biggest matches in Indian football history.
There is a Kolkata angle too. The city has a long Brazil-loving streak, and Salt Lake is a stadium that has hosted big football nights before, including the opening event of Lionel Messi's India tour in December 2025, which was overshadowed by crowd-control problems and a police response. Expect a big crowd and expect to arrive early.
Brazil: who is coming
Carlo Ancelotti named a 26-player squad for the Australia and India games, confirmed with no further changes since. It is Brazil's first squad since the World Cup, where they lost 2-1 to Norway in the round of 16, their earliest exit at a World Cup since 1990, and it is a genuine overhaul: only nine players survive from the 26-man World Cup squad — Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhães, Marquinhos, Danilo Santos, Bruno Guimarães, Endrick, Raphinha, Rayan and Vinícius Júnior.
Neymar is not there. He announced his retirement from international football after the Norway defeat, finishing as Brazil's all-time top scorer with 80 goals in 130 appearances. Only Cafu, with 142, has played more times for Brazil. Alisson, Casemiro, Ederson, Danilo and Weverton are also out.
One late change: João Pedro was originally named but ruled out injured and replaced by Gabriel Martinelli. The confirmed 26: Hugo Souza, Pedro Morisco, Otávio (goalkeepers); Arthur Dias, Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhães, Jair, Marquinhos, Matheuzinho, Mauro Júnior, Vítor Reis, Wesley (defenders); Andrey Santos, Breno Bidon, Bruno Guimarães, Danilo Santos, Douglas Luiz, Gabriel Bontempo (midfielders); Endrick, Estêvão, Gabriel Martinelli, Pedro, Raphinha, Rayan, Samuel Lino, Vinícius Júnior (forwards). Arsenal's Bruno Guimarães, who completed his move from Newcastle in August, and Douglas Luiz, back at Juventus after his Aston Villa loan, are the two notable club-move storylines in the squad.
Brazil played Australia twice before Kolkata: a 1-1 draw in Townsville on 25 September, then a six-goal thriller in Brisbane on 29 September in front of 52,423 fans, won 4-2. Vanderson opened the scoring, Australia twice hit back through Circati and Metcalfe, then Raphinha, Bruno Guimarães and Vinícius Júnior scored to see Brazil home. That leaves four days between Brisbane and the Salt Lake game to travel and recover.
India: what to know before kick-off
Khalid Jamil named 26 players on 31 August, and the camp has been running in Bengaluru since 14 September. India opened the window with a 1-1 draw against Panama on 25 September, Ryan Williams scoring, before travelling to Kolkata. Sunil Chhetri, India's record scorer, is not in the squad.
Salt Lake is where Chhetri played what was billed as his farewell match, against Kuwait on 6 June 2024, before returning the following year. This time Jamil has said India are building a new team and he did not ask Chhetri to come back.
The full squad list, Panama and Uruguay details and the November fixtures are on the India fixtures page.
Where to watch India vs Brazil
Sony Sports Network has the live telecast of all three India games, and SonyLIV will stream them. Sony Sports also produces the match feed for the AIFF. We have not seen a confirmed broadcaster outside India, so we are not listing one.
Tickets and getting in
The AIFF sells tickets through District by Zomato, on the app or the website, by choosing Kolkata as the location. Sales for the Brazil game opened on 2 September at 4 pm IST. At launch the range was reported as ₹999 to ₹15,000, and reports said most of the cheaper tickets were gone within around 20 minutes. When we checked on 21 September, the District page showed tickets from ₹3,500.
Buy only through the District listing linked from the AIFF announcements. The District page lists gates opening at 3 pm, four and a half hours before kick-off. If your ticket says a different time, trust the ticket.
A little history: 1950, 1977 and a Kolkata farewell
- India qualified for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil without playing a qualifier, because their group opponents withdrew, and then did not go. The AIFF cited disagreements over team selection and too little practice time, even though FIFA had offered to cover travel costs.
- On 24 September 1977, Pelé played about 30 minutes for the New York Cosmos against Mohun Bagan at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Mohun Bagan led twice and the game ended 2-2, in front of more than 65,000 people.
- Salt Lake was also where Sunil Chhetri played his first farewell match, against Kuwait in June 2024.
- Neymar's 80 Brazil goals make him the country's all-time top scorer, and he will not be in Kolkata. Ancelotti's squad for this window is younger, with a lot of players chosen because they could still be around for the 2030 World Cup.
Test yourself before kick-off
If you want to warm up for the Brazil game, the free Football Quiz has a World Cup 2026 topic and lets you play live against friends. FootballQuest gives you one mystery footballer a day, and nationality is the first clue.