India have been invited to affix subsequent month’s Central Asian soccer Nations Cup in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
India have been invited to play within the Central Asian Soccer Affiliation’s (CAFA) Nations Cup subsequent month, the regional soccer federation has confirmed, alongside FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers Iran and Uzbekistan.
The second version of the event – Iran gained the inaugural occasion in 2023 – will run from August 29 to September 8.
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are the host international locations.
The regional event illustrates a big thaw in diplomatic ties between Central Asian international locations after a long time of tensions and conflicts because the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
“With one month to go, preparations are in full swing to ship a event aimed toward growing soccer and strengthening worldwide collaboration throughout the area,” CAFA mentioned.
Along with India, the six members of CAFA – Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan – will compete.
Oman was additionally invited and can play within the event for the second time.
Kazakhstan, an unlimited nation in Central Asia and a significant regional energy, will likely be notably absent from the event as it’s a member of UEFA.
Uzbekistan’s historic qualification final month for the World Cup finals was seen as an emblem of the fast rise of soccer in Central Asian international locations, historically extra profitable in fight sports activities than workforce sports activities.
Lately, the previous Soviet republics of Central Asia have made a number of notable breakthroughs.
All take pleasure in sturdy state assist, with CAFA headed by the son of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.
The Indian males’s nationwide workforce are presently and not using a coach, whereas the Indian Tremendous League (ISL) – India’s high home competitors – is in peril of collapse following a dispute between the federation and its business associate.
The present turmoil led Sunil Chhetri, India’s celebrated veteran striker, to put up on X in regards to the destiny of the ISL.
“Everyone within the Indian soccer ecosystem is apprehensive, damage, scared in regards to the uncertainty we’re confronted with,” he mentioned.
