The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has officially announced Khalid Jamil as the head coach of the Indian Senior Men's National Team amidst tough times. He has signed a two-year contract, which includes an option to extend for an additional year. Khalid Jamil has replaced Manolo Marquez and with this appointment, he becomes the first Indian to hold the position in 13 years.
Khalid Jamil becomes Indian senior Men's Football team's new head coach
Jamil will be taking on the role full-time, with his first training camp scheduled to begin on August 15 at the Dravid-Padukone Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru. The list of players for the camp is expected to be announced shortly. Jamil's first major tournament with the team, known as the Blue Tigers, will be the CAFA Nations Cup. India is set to compete in Group B against Tajikistan (August 29), IR Iran (September 1), and Afghanistan (September 4). Following this, the team will play two critical AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying matches against Singapore during the October FIFA Window on the 9th and 14th.
"I am both deeply proud and immensely privileged to have been entrusted with the responsibility of leading our national team. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to train Indian players, and I’ve grown to understand their strengths and weaknesses intimately. These insights will be fundamental to everything we do as we prepare for the CAFA Nations Cup and the upcoming crucial Asian Cup Qualifiers against Singapore," Jamil said in a statement.
Khalid Jamil is the first Indian to coach the men's national team since Savio Medeira in 2012. Jamil brings a wealth of coaching experience from his time in both the Indian Super League and the I-League, where he has managed prominent clubs such as Jamshedpur FC, NorthEast United FC, Aizawl FC, East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan AC, and Mumbai FC. His career highlight came in the 2016-17 season when he famously led Aizawl FC to a historic I-League title. Most recently, the 48-year-old guided Jamshedpur FC to the final of the 2025 Kalinga Super Cup and the semi-finals of both the 2024-25 ISL Play-offs and the 2024 Kalinga Super Cup.
Before his coaching career, Jamil was a celebrated midfielder for the Indian national team, earning 15 caps. He made his international debut at the 1997 SAFF Championship in Nepal, where India went on to win the title. He also represented India in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the 2001 Merdeka Tournament. In his club playing career, Jamil won the National Football League, two Federation Cups, and two IFA Shields with Mahindra United. He also played for Air India and Mumbai FC. On the state level, he represented Maharashtra and won the Santosh Trophy with them in 1999.