New Delhi | Qualifying for the FIFA World Cup has remained a dream for India. But the 23rd edition in the Americas, beginning on June 11, will feature four Indian origin players.
The quartet -- Sarpreet Singh, Samuel Moutoussamy, Nishan Velupillay, and Tahsin Mohammed -- follow the footsteps of Vikash Dhorasoo, the French midfielder, who appeared in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Dhorasoo's forefathers had their roots in Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. Here's a closer look at the latest entrants in that list.
Sarpreet Singh (New Zealand)
Born in Auckland to Punjabi parents, Sarpreet even played in India during the Intercontinental Cup in 2018 in Mumbai. He played against the likes of Sunil Chhetri after making his NZ debut earlier that year. He was part of an U23 development side as NZ did not send the first team.
Sarpreet scored against Kenya and provided both the assists in New Zealand's 2–1 win against India.
India won the title while NZ finished third in the four-nation tournament.
One year later, Sarpreet became the first player of Indian descent to play in the German first division league when he debuted for Bayern Munich in 2019. He joined the club from Australian A-League side Wellington Phoenix. He came on as a substitute against Werder Bremen.
Initially, the 27-year-old attacking midfielder was with Bayern's reserve team in the third division, but his impressive performances earned him a first-team debut under then-manager Hansi Flick.
Sarpreet made his first senior start for Bayern Munich on June 20, 2020, against SC Freiburg. He was part of the squad that won the Bundesliga title in 2019–2020 season.
After his stint in Germany, Sarpreet was with Uniao de Leiria in Portugal for one season before moving to Serbian SuperLiga side FK TSC in 2025.
This year, he returned to NZ, playing in the A-League for Phoenix on loan from FK TSC.
He suffered an injury in February, sidelining him for eight weeks but returned on the field in April before making the New Zealand World Cup squad of 26. He has earned 24 international caps for NZ and scored three times.
Sarpreet also played for New Zealand at the 2017 and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cups.
Samuel Moutoussamy (DR Congo)
Moutoussamy was born in France to a Congolese mother and Indo-Guadeloupean father of Tamil origin. Indo-Guadeloupeans are mostly descendants of indentured workers who came mostly from South India in the late 19th century.
Under FIFA rules, a player is eligible to play for a national team if a biological mother, biological father, or grandparent was born on that country's territory. The player should also hold the passport of the country he is representing.
The 29-year-old midfielder is currently playing for Greek Super League club Atromitos and has earned 57 DR Congo senior national team caps after making his debut in 2019.
He earlier played for FC Nantes in France and Turkish side Ozbelsan Sivasspor.
Nishan Velupillay (Australia)
Born in Melbourne to an Anglo-Indian mother and a Malaysian father of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, the 25-year-old winger is one of 17 players in the Socceroos' 26-member squad who will be making their FIFA World Cup debut. He plays for Melbourne Victory in the Australia top-tier A-League.
He made his Australia debut in October 2024 during the 2026 World Cup qualification round, scoring in his maiden appearance as a substitute against China.
Since then, Nishan has gone on to collect seven more senior caps for Australia. He has scored thrice, all of them in the World Cup qualifiers.
He grew up in Melbourne and attended Mazenod College in Mulgrave. He began his football journey in the youth ranks at Glen Eira FC and worked his way into the Melbourne Victory academy.
Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid (Qatar)
Tahsin, who turns 20 on June 16, was born in Doha to Malayali parents, who moved to Qatar from Kannur in 2006.
Tahsin got into football under his father Jamshid's guidance, who was a former University of Calicut player. Jamshid, currently an accountant in Qatar, hails from Thalassery and mother Shyma from Valapattanam, near Kannur.
Tahsin honed his footballing skills at the Aspire Academy in Doha, becoming the first Indian-origin player to feature in the Qatar Stars League, the top-tier competition of the country. He currently plays for Al Duhail SC.
Tahsin, a winger, made his international debut against Afghanistan in 2024 during the Asian qualifiers group match of the 2026 FIFA WC. That group also included India and Tahsin was on the bench when Qatar beat India 2-1 in a controversial match in Doha on June 11, 2024.
Tahsin also featured in two international friendly matches -- against Zimbabwe (2025) and Ireland (2026). He is yet to score any goal.
Niall Mason misses out
Mason, a 29-year-old, was named in Qatar's preliminary 34-man WC squad, but could not make it to the final 26-man roster.
A Qatar SC defender, Mason was born in England to an Indian mother and an American father.
ISL connection with 2026 FIFA World Cup
Former Kerala Blasters player Duckens Nazon is in the Haiti squad. The forward, who is currently playing for Iranian top side Esteghlal, was with Blasters in the 2016 ISL season. He was just 22 when he landed in Kochi after playing for French clubs Lorient II and Olympique Saint-Quentin.
Nazon, now 32, scored a crucial goal in a 2-1 win over FC Pune City, helping his side qualify for the ISL playoffs. He has played 78 times for Haiti since making his debut in 2014 and is their highest scorer with 44 goals.