Kolkata: Nearly 44 years after Enzo Francescoli made his international debut at Eden Gardens, Uruguay will return to the city for a friendly on October 6 completing an unprecedented set of three matches that India will play at home against teams from the 2026 World Cup.
“La Celeste’s arrival in Kolkata adds another major fixture to an unprecedented run of international football for Indian fans, with three World Cup-playing nations – Panama, Brazil and Uruguay – set to visit the country within the same FIFA window,” the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said in a media release on Thursday.
India will also travel to 2026 World Cup finalists New Zealand for two friendlies making this a year like no other for the men’s national team.
The first match in the September-October window will be against Panama, ranked 44th in the world, in Bengaluru on September 26. It will be the first international in Bengaluru after the 2023 SAFF Championship which India won by beating invited team Kuwait on penalties.
That match will help head coach Khalid Jamil get ready for the game against Brazil in Kolkata on October 3. Jamil is likely to hold a preparatory camp in Bengaluru from the middle of September.
Two-time world champions Uruguay failed to progress beyond the group league in the World Cup but are 20th in FIFA rankings. They are managed by 2010 World Cup Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan who replaced Marcelo Biesla after the World Cup. Forlan represented Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League in 2016.
Because Uruguay are scheduled to play Japan and South Korea in September, it was easier for AIFF to invite them instead of Cape Verde who are hosting Rwanda in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda on September 29. A selection from Uruguay also played in the Millennium Cup in Kochi in 2001.
In the first Nehru Cup in 1982, Francescoli, 20, scored on debut in the 1-0 win against Yugoslavia B. He scored a goal in the 3-2 win against an Italy Olympic side. India lost 1-3 to Uruguay who beat China 2-0 in the final. Uruguay won the next two Copa America titles, and were runners-up in the third, with Francescoli playing a starring role in all of them. Francescoli also won the 1995 Copa and played in the 1986 and 1990 World Cup finals.
Like Lionel Messi’s international captaincy, the journey of one of Uruguay’s greatest players began in Kolkata.
