Former India captain Sunil Chhetri has reversed his retirement decision at 40. He had announced his retirement last year in June after a goalless draw with Kuwait in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
India’s record goal scorer will feature in the international fixtures against Maldives and Bangladesh, later this month.
Chhetri is the fourth-highest goal scorer in men’s international football with 94. He is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Ali Daei.
Following his international retirement he continued to play for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League, topping the list of highest Indian goal scorers with 12, this season.
In his 23 appearances for the Blues, he has contributed 14 goals, with two assists.
The Indian talisman is second in the golden boot race and has guided Bengaluru FC to a playoffs spot after it finished in the bottom half of the table last season.
In his retirement message, the premier striker said, “The retirement decision was not because of physical aspect, I am still fit, running, chasing, defending, the hard work is not difficult, the reason is to do with the mental aspect.”
India is drawn along side Bangladesh, Hong Kong (China) and Singapore in the qualifying round. They will open their campaign with a friendly against Maldives before taking on Bangladesh in the third round of 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
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