Bengaluru, Sept. 24 -- Three years after lifting the SAFF Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the Indian men's national team return to familiar territory on Friday to begin a demanding run of international friendlies with a first-ever meeting against Panama.

The Central American side are the first of three teams from the 2026 FIFA World Cup that India will face, with Brazil and Uruguay to follow in Kolkata on October 3 and 6, respectively. Panama may be the lowest-ranked of the three, but at 44th in the FIFA rankings, they remain 94 places above India and present an immediate test for Khalid Jamil's side, according to a media release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Panama will become the eighth CONCACAF nation to...