AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The India eFootball National Team is all set to make its maiden appearance in the FIFAe Nations Cup in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday, July 27, when they play their first round of Group Stage matches.
 
The eTigers have been drawn in Group D of the FIFAe Nations Cup Denmark 2022, where they are set to face the likes of Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Mexico, and Morocco. Comprising of a squad of three players – Charanjot Singh, Siddh Chandarana, and Saransh Jain – the Indian eFootball National Team will be playing five back-to-back matches on July 27. These matches will be played in a doubles format.
 
“It’s a matter of pride for all three of us to play on the global stage in Denmark, to be there, and to represent our country. The aim is to get the FIFAe Nations trophy to India,” said India’s top-ranked efootballer Charanjot Singh.
 
The 19-year-old, who started his efootball journey four years ago, believes that though Italy would be the toughest to beat in Group D, India have a good chance if they can assert their own style of play.
 
“Italy are certainly one of the favourites in the tournament, but we need to focus on ourselves first and try to win the matches one by one,” he stated.
 
Siddh Chandarana spoke about the special feeling of success after learning for a failure, as the eTigers came every-so-close to qualifying for the FIFAe Nations last season, before finally being successful this time round.
 
“It’s an absolute dream to wear the India badge at that level. Last season we came so close, but this time, we worked very hard, and hopefully, we can do well,” he said. “Italy and Netherlands may be the toughest teams, but it does not matter who we face. We have the toughest group, and we need to give our best in every match. All we need to do is to go there and express ourselves.”
 
Hailing from Pune, Saransh Jain is one who has his loved ones looking up to him as he steps on to the world stage.
 
“My family is really proud and thrilled about the FIFAe Nations Cup. They are very much looking forward to see me play,” he said.
 
While India will be playing five back-to-back matches, the eTigers will not be fazed by such a hectic format, as they have had the experience of doing the same in other competitions as well.
 
“We’ve played a number of tournaments where the format is quite similar with back-to-back matches. We’ll be treating this as another normal event, and I hope that things go our way,” said Jain.
 
India will square off against Italy at 9.35 PM IST, followed by Netherlands (10 PM), Poland (10.25 PM), Mexico (11 PM), and Morocco (11.35 PM). The matches will be streamed live on the Indian Football Youtube channel, where the pre-match show will begin at 9 PM IST.

(Photo Courtesy: Getty Images/FIFA)