Ryan Williams of Bengaluru FC in blue and Liston Colaco of Mohun Bagan Super Giant vie for the ball during the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) final at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, West Bengal. (PTI Photo) Ryan Williams is set to make his India debut after being named in the 23-man squad for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong on March 31 in Kochi.The Australian-born striker was included after FIFA approved his change of association, allowing him to represent India at senior level. Earlier, he was part of the training camp for the qualifiers in Bangladesh but could not make the squad due to pending papers.After completing the formalities, the 31-year-old winger could feature in the upcoming match.India are already out of contention for qualification but the team will look to end their campaign on a positive note with a mix of experienced players and younger names.
Who is Ryan Williams?
Williams, whose mother hails from an Anglo-Indian family in Mumbai, will become only the second foreign player of Indian origin to represent the country after Arata Izumi, who played for India in 2013-14.Currently with Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL), Williams surrendered his Australian passport to join India last year.Born in Perth in 1993, he began his professional career in England with Portsmouth FC in 2010. He made his senior debut a year later against Middlesbrough FC and later had spells at Fulham FC and Barnsley FC.Internationally, Williams has represented Australia at youth tournaments, including the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship and the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. His only senior appearance for Australia came in a 2019 friendly against South Korea, a non-competitive match that allowed him to switch allegiance under FIFA rules.The Indian football team started its camp in Kochi on Tuesday with 20 players and staff. Defender Anwar Ali, midfielder Jeakson Singh Thounaojam and forward Edmund Lalrindika are set to join later following their club commitments.“It’s a good opportunity for us to build for the future,” India head coach Khalid Jamil said.“We have a lot of promising players coming through who are currently with the U20 and U23 national teams, playing in the SAFF U20 Championship in the Maldives and the U23 Tri-Nation in Arunachal Pradesh.“Our assistant coach Mahesh is leading the U20s himself, which will help us familiarize them with the system we have here with the senior team.
