Two Indian-origin players to feature at FIFA World Cup 2026

A teenager making history for Qatar

Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid, a 19-year-old winger, has become the first player of Indian origin to be selected for Qatar’s national team. His family traces its roots to Kannur in Kerala, giving his selection a deeply personal significance for India’s football community. His inclusion in Qatar’s squad for the 2026 World Cup is a milestone not just for him, but for the wider Indian diaspora in the Gulf.

Australia’s Tamil Nadu connection

Joining Jamshid on the world stage is Nishan Velupillay, a 25-year-old winger who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. Velupillay’s family origins lie in Tamil Nadu, and his inclusion in Australia’s 26-man squad adds another proud chapter to the story of the Indian diaspora in global football.

The pair follow in the footsteps of Vikash Dhorasoo, the elegant France midfielder whose forebears came from Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. Dhorasoo played for France at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where Les Bleus finished as runners-up. Two decades on, that legacy is alive again — and this time doubled. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was among the first to celebrate the news, describing it as “a historic moment for Indian football fans.”