India’s men’s football team will travel to New Zealand for a two-match international friendly series during the November FIFA international window as part of the ‘100 Years of Unity Through Sport’ celebrations, marking a century of sporting ties between the two nations.

The Blue Tigers will face the All Whites on November 12 at Go Media Stadium in Auckland and November 15 at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch.

The announcement was made during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to New Zealand.

The series offers India a valuable test against FIFA World Cup 2026 participant New Zealand. The teams last met in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup, where New Zealand won 2-1 despite a Sunil Chhetri goal.

The celebrations commemorate the sporting relationship that began in 1926, when Major Dhyan Chand toured New Zealand with the Indian Army hockey team. The matches also form part of the India-New Zealand Joint Action Plan on Sport, aimed at enhancing collaboration in coaching, sports science, talent development and high-performance programmes.

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Published on Jul 11, 2026