Sunil Chhetri Says He's 'A Little Jealous' As India Prepares To Face Brazil And Uruguay

Sunil Chhetri spent close to two decades as the face of Indian football. He never once got to play Brazil or Uruguay. The current national team is about to get both, and Chhetri isn't hiding how that makes him feel.

"I feel a little jealous as a spectator," Chhetri told the All India Football Federation, according to comments carried by the Times of India, Hindustan Times, NDTV and The New Indian Express. "In my 24-26 years as a professional and nearly 20 years with the national team, I never got an opportunity like this."

A packed international window

India's senior men's team is set for a busy September-October window against three sides that played in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to Daily Hunt and Times Now, India will host Panama on September 26 at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Five-time world champions Brazil come to Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium on October 3, with Uruguay following at the same venue three days later, on October 6.

Times Now's report on the schedule listed the Uruguay fixture as September 6, which does not match the dates given by the Times of India, Daily Hunt and the sequence Times Now itself described. The October 6 date, backed by multiple outlets and consistent with the stated gap after the Brazil fixture, is supported by the weight of the reporting.

Chhetri, 42, retired from international football last year. His final cap came in October 2025, a 2-1 loss to Singapore in AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying, according to Times Now. He remains India's all-time leading scorer with 95 international goals and its most-capped player with 157 appearances. He still plays club football for Bengaluru FC.

Backing the coach, staying out of selection debates

Asked about squad selection and why certain players were left out, Chhetri declined to weigh in. "The coach has to answer that. I'm just a fan now, watching like everyone else," he told the AIFF, a line repeated across the Times of India, Hindustan Times and NDTV's coverage.

Times Now also quoted Chhetri addressing India's decision to skip the inaugural 2026 ASEAN Cup in favor of these friendlies, a call that drew some criticism. He again pointed to the coaching staff rather than offering his own verdict. "Why they did not play a different tournament? Coach has to answer what talks went on. Don't ask me," he said. "I'm a spectator like you now. I'm a fan. I'm going to watch the Brazil game, the Panama game and the Uruguay game. And like you, I'll enjoy it."

Daily Hunt's account included a somewhat different framing, quoting Chhetri saying, "What's the point of talking about the national team? I'm not part of it, so I don't really have an idea." That characterization is more detached than the confident backing of the coaching staff described in the AIFF-sourced quotes carried elsewhere. Both agree on the underlying point: Chhetri is deliberately staying out of internal team decisions.

No comeback, but full faith in the youth

Chhetri recently returned to individual training, and reporters asked the obvious question. He shut it down with a joke. "I just trained for 20 minutes. I'm around 42 now, I can barely run properly and I'm struggling," he said, according to Hindustan Times and the New Indian Express.

He did express confidence in the current generation, framing the Brazil and Uruguay fixtures as the kind of formative experience he had to build his own career without. "This is their time. There are so many talented youngsters in the team. Everyone gets their opportunity, just like I got mine 20 years ago," he told the AIFF.

The comments came after the Football Players Association of India's Indian Football Awards 2026, per Times Now's report. India's actual results against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay will show whether this window delivers what Chhetri says he never had: proof of where young Indian players stand against World Cup-level competition. Those matches are scheduled for September 26, October 3 and October 6.