FIFA World Cup: Quartet of Indian origin players set to take a bow

A berth in the FIFA World Cup may continue to be a pipe dream for India, but news of four Indian-origin players being part of different teams in the upcoming edition in North Americas hasˀ created a stir on social media.  Tahsin Mohammed, Nishan Velupillay, Sarpreet Singh and Samuel Moutoussamy are set to emulate French midfielder Vikash Dhorasoo, who appeared in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Tahsin, born to Malayali parents in Doha, will represent 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, Nishan is part of the Socceroos, Sarpreet represents the Kiwis while Samuel dons the colours of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lauding the feat of 20-year-old Tahsin and Nishan, Congress MP Dr Shashi Tharoor posted on social media: ‘’A historic moment for Indian football fans! As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, we will have two players of Indian heritage gracing the global stage. 19-year-old winger Tahsin Mohammed Jamshid makes history as the first player of Indian origin selected for the Qatar national team, carrying the immense pride of his family roots in Kannur, Kerala.

‘’Meanwhile, Australia’s 26-man squad features Melbourne Victory’s dynamic 25-year-old winger Nishan Velupillay, whose origins are in Tamil Nadu. Seeing the global Indian diaspora make its mark on football’s grandest platform is an absolute joy. Best of luck to both young men as they head to North America!’’

Tahsin Mohammed: Tahsin, the youngest of the lot who turns 20 on 16 June, was born in Doha to Malayali parents who moved to Qatar from Kannur in 2006. He 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.

A winger, Tahsin made his international debut against Afghanistan in 2024 during the Asian qualifiers group match of the 2026 World Cup. That group also included India, then coached by Igor Stimac, and Tahsin was on the bench when Qatar beat India 2-1 via a controversial goal in Doha in June 2024.

Nishan Velupillay: Born in Melbourne to an Anglo-Indian mother and a Malaysian father of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, the 25-year-old winger Nishan 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 his goals coming in 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.

Sarpreet Singh: Sarpreet, meanwhile, even played in India during the Intercontinental Cup in 2018 in Mumbai, taking the pitch against the likes of Sunil Chhetri after making his New Zealand debut earlier that year. He was part of an Under-23 development side 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.

A year later, Sarpreet became the first player of Indian descent to play in Bundesliga when he made his debut for Bayern Munich. He joined the club from Australian A-League side Wellington Phoenix and 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 20 June 2020 against SC Freiburg. He was part of the squad that won the Bundesliga title in the 2019–20 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. Incidentally, the 27-year-old also played for New Zealand in the 2017 and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cups.

Samuel Moutoussamy: Samuel 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.

The 29-year-old midfielder is an experienced campaigner as he 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 the Turkish side Ozbelsan Sivasspor.

With PTI inputs