On 13 August 2025, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced that Khalid Jamil has become the new head coach of the Indian men’s football team.
He has signed a two-year deal that will continue until August 2027, with a chance to extend it by one more year if the team performs well.
He replaces Manolo Marquez, whose contract was ended by the AIFF last month. Jamil is the first Indian to take charge of the national men’s team since Savio Medeira in 2012.
His work starts immediately. Khalid Jamil will start his first training camp on August 15 at the Dravid-Padukone Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru. His first matches as coach will be in the CAFA Nations Cup, where India will play Tajikistan on August 29, Iran on September 1, and Afghanistan on September 4. After that, in October, India will meet Singapore in two important AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying matches on October 9 and 14.
Khalid Jamil has been involved in Indian football for many years. He has coached top clubs in the Indian Super League and I-League, such as Jamshedpur FC, NorthEast United FC, Aizawl FC, East Bengal FC, Mohun Bagan AC, and Mumbai FC. His greatest achievement came in 2016-17, when he guided Aizawl FC to their first-ever I-League championship a huge surprise in Indian football.
In his recent spell with Jamshedpur FC, Jamil took the team to the final of the Super Cup 2025 and the semi-finals of both the ISL play-offs 2024-25 and the Super Cup 2024. For his work, he was awarded the AIFF Men’s Coach of the Year in 2024 and 2025.
Jamil represented the Indian national football team in 15 matches before moving into coaching. He first appeared in the 1997 SAFF Championship in Nepal, which India won. He was also part of the team during the 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the 2001 Merdeka Tournament.
During his club career, he represented Mahindra United, Air India, and Mumbai FC. While playing for Mahindra United, he helped the team win the National Football League, two Federation Cups, and two IFA Shields. He also won the Santosh Trophy in 1999 while playing for Maharashtra.