NEW DELHI: All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday extended the contract of Indian men's football team head coach Igor Stimac for two years until June 2026.
The India football team on Thursday took to X and made the official announcement. They wrote, "The journey continues with the #BlueTigers" with an image of Stimac.
"The federation, the members have decided to extend the contract of our national team, Igor Stimac, until the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. We have agreed to this, agreed to continue as one team," AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran said during a virtual media interaction.
Igor Stimac took over as the head coach of the Indian national football team in the summer of 2019 after a disastrous AFC Asian Cup campaign in which India failed to make it through the group stage.
The team's playing style has changed significantly since Stimac was hired, and the All India Football Federation has benefited from the results as well.
This development is significant for Indian football because the Blue Tigers have advanced significantly over the past year under the direction of the Croatian head coach.
Notably, they were ranked among the top 100 FIFA teams this year, which is a positive development. India fared well in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, which were held in Kolkata last year, under Stimac's direction.
In order to qualify for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which would take place early in the following year, the team won all three of its matches against Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Hong Kong.
The team's performance has received accolades lately. India won both the Intercontinental Cup and the Tri-nation tournaments that were played in Imphal and Bhubaneswar, respectively.
aThey also won the SAFF Championship earlier this year in Bengaluru. Stimac's first task following the signing of a new contract will be to lead the squad in the Merdeka Cup, which will take place in Malaysia during the forthcoming international break.