All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Khalid Jamil as the head coach of Indian Senior National Football Team.
Earlier, the technical committee shortlisted three coaches – Khalid Jamil, Stephen Constantine, and Štefan Tarkovič.
Khalid Jamil is currently the coach of Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC and will become the first Indian to coach the national team after 13 years. Savio Madeira was the last home-grown coach to be given the top job in October 2011. His stint lasted till March 2012.
He previously coached several top domestic sides, including East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC. In the 2020-21 season, Jamil became the first Indian to take charge of an ISL club on a full-time basis when he led NorthEast United FC to the ISL playoffs. He took Jamshedpur FC to semifinals in the last edition of Indian Super League.
Under his coaching, East Bengal FC in 2018 and Jamshedpur FC in 2025 finished runners-up in the Super Cup.
Born in Kuwait, an AFC Pro License holder, Khalid Jamil enjoys the rare honour of winning India’s top division as a player and a coach — he won it with Mahindra United in 2005 and then guided Aizawl FC to the I-League title in 2017 in one of biggest stories in Indian football.
His first test as India head coach will come at the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 in Uzbekistan between August 29 and September 8.
India, currently 133rd in FIFA rankings, have been drawn with world No. 20 Islamic Republic of Iran, world No. 106 Tajikistan and a strong Afghanistan side.
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