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India Pulls Out of ASEAN Cup to Prioritise Brazil Friendly:

Published on 17 Aug 2026

India has withdrawn from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup, choosing to prioritise its high-profile international friendly against five-time World champion Brazil in October.
The development was confirmed by All India Football Federation (AIFF) Deputy Secretary General M. Satyanarayanan on Thursday.
India’s withdrawal means that the team will miss the opportunity to compete against some of Southeast Asia’s leading sides in a FIFA-sanctioned competition.
The inaugural tournament was conceived as a new international competition for teams from the ASEAN region, with India invited as one of the non-ASEAN participants.
India had initially accepted FIFA’s invitation and was subsequently placed in Division 1, Group A, alongside Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
The competition is scheduled to take place during the September 21–October 6 FIFA international window.

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