The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Shillong, Meghalaya, the venue that recently hosted the Indian Super League (ISL) match between NorthEast United FC and Mumbai City FC will host the India senior men’s national team in the two matches that they will play during the March FIFA International Window, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Tuesday.

The Blue Tigers begin their AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round campaign against Bangladesh on March 25, and will play an International Friendly against the Maldives on March 19 as part of their preparation, at the JLN Stadium, Shillong. Both matches will kick off at 7 pm IST on their respective dates.

India have been drawn in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round, alongside Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangladesh. The teams will play each other twice in a home-and-away round-robin format till March 2026. The group winners will make it to the Asian Cup tournament proper.

This is the first time that JLN Shillong will host senior men's international matches after the stadium was refurbished last year.

India’s matches in March 2025 FIFA International Window:

March 19: India vs Maldives, 7pm IST, FIFA International Friendly

March 25: India vs Bangladesh, 7pm IST, AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round