New Delhi, Oct. 2 -- The Indian football team will enter a new era when the Blue Tigers take on five-time champions Brazil in a FIFA friendly at the iconic Saltlake Stadium in Kolkata on October 3. Ranked 138th in the world, this will be India's first face-off with world no.5 Brazil in a first-ever encounter in history.

For India, they have never qualified for a World Cup and failed to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, underlining the huge gulf between the Blue Tigers and Asia's stronger teams. India withdrew from the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup to accommodate the Brazil fixture due to date clash.

The Khalid Jamil side are coming on the back of a gritty 1-1 draw against Panama in Bengaluru on September 25, taking the lead thr...