India U20 Face Yemen Friendlies as Blue Colts Step Up AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers Preparations
India's U20 men's football team will step up preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers with two friendly matches against Yemen at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru on August 20 and 23.
Both matches will kick off at 4:30 PM IST and will be played behind closed doors, giving the Blue Colts another opportunity to test themselves against international opposition before travelling to Uzbekistan for the qualifiers later this month.
The two matches against Yemen will be India's third and fourth friendlies of the current training camp. The team has already secured two victories against Singapore, winning the opening encounter 3-0 before edging the same opponents 1-0 three days later.
The focus now shifts to Yemen, with India looking to use the final stages of their Bengaluru camp to fine-tune their preparations for a demanding qualifying campaign.
India opened their series of preparation matches against Singapore on August 3 at the Centre for Sports Excellence. The Blue Colts produced a convincing 3-0 victory, with Rishi Singh Ningthoukhongjam opening the scoring in first-half stoppage time. Singamayum Shami then doubled India's advantage in the 63rd minute before Singapore conceded an own goal in the 83rd minute, completing the 3-0 scoreline.
The second encounter, played on August 6, was a much tighter affair. India eventually secured a 1-0 victory, with Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum scoring the decisive goal in the fifth minute. The two wins provided India with a strong start to their preparations, while also allowing the coaching staff to assess the squad in competitive match situations.
The upcoming Yemen fixtures will offer another type of test.
Yemen provides a different challenge.
India and Yemen have only met once previously at this age group. That encounter came in the AFC U19 Championship Qualifiers in 2017, when the two teams played out a goalless draw. The upcoming matches therefore provide the current generation of Blue Colts with an opportunity to face Yemen for the first time in nearly a decade at this age group.
With both matches being played behind closed doors, the primary objective will be preparation rather than spectacle. India can use the fixtures to work on their tactical structure, build combinations and give players valuable minutes ahead of the qualifiers. The two matches also come at an important point in the training camp, with the squad approaching the final phase of its Bengaluru preparations.
Following the two Yemen friendlies, India will travel to Tashkent on August 26, five days before their opening AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifying match. The early arrival is designed to give the Blue Colts time to acclimatise to local conditions and train in the weather they will encounter during the qualification tournament.
That adjustment period could prove particularly valuable given the compact schedule awaiting India. The qualifiers will be played in Uzbekistan from August 31 to September 6, meaning the team will have little time between matches. India will begin their campaign against Syria on August 31 before facing hosts Uzbekistan on September 3.
The Blue Colts will then complete their qualifying campaign against Bangladesh on September 6.
The qualifying group presents India with three different challenges. Syria will be India's opening opponent, making the first match particularly important for setting the tone for the campaign. Three days later, India will face Uzbekistan, a potentially decisive encounter given the hosts' familiarity with the conditions and their status as one of the strongest teams in the group. Bangladesh will be India's final opponent on September 6.
The Blue Colts therefore need to enter the competition with both physical readiness and tactical clarity. The four Bengaluru friendlies are an important part of that process.
Two wins against Singapore have given India confidence, but Yemen are expected to provide another opportunity to test the team's progress before the squad heads to Tashkent.
The priority for India now is to convert training-camp work into consistent performances on the pitch. The victories over Singapore showed that the team can produce results while keeping clean sheets. The Yemen fixtures will allow the coaching staff to examine how the players respond to another international opponent and potentially different tactical demands.
With the qualifiers less than two weeks away, every training session and match carries added importance. The Blue Colts have already taken the first steps with two victories in Bengaluru. They now have two more opportunities to sharpen their game before leaving India.
The schedule is clear: Yemen on August 20, Yemen again on August 23, Tashkent on August 26 and Syria on August 31.
For India's U20 side, the journey towards the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 has entered its decisive preparation phase.
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