After 8 years, the Mariners defeated fierce rivals Mohammedan SC 3-2 on the final matchday of the Super Six Stage while trailing by a goal and a man down for 30+ minutes. Sahal’s brace and clutch goal from Sayan brought home the crown as we march on to defend our IFA shield.
WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE MATCHES FIXTURES
The IFA Shield, 2026, is scheduled to start on 23rd September with the Mariners playing their 1st group stage match against Sreenidi Deccan. It will be held in the Mohun Bagan AC Ground at 3 PM.The main target for the Mariners Brigade is to retain the prestigious trophy. It will amount to huge confidence boost ahead of the ISL season starting from 10th October, especially after the shocking 4-1 defeat in the Durand Cup Final Derby.
IFA Shield 2026 Fixtures Alert 💚❤️
— MBFT (@MBFT89) September 15, 2026
{ Joy Mohun Bagan, MBFT } pic.twitter.com/c91Qbt0SmU
TACTICAL STRATEGY
Six foreigners can play at the same time in IFA Shield 2026 which opens up plenty of options for Coach Panos to explore. It will allow the foreign contingent to get some valuable minutes on the pitch in the Green-and-Maroon jersey.Six players, namely, Tekcham Abhishek Singh, Mehtab Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad and Manvir Singh has been called up for National Duty in the FIFA International Window. With these players unavailable, Coach Panos has a big task at hand to field a suitable lineup in this tournament.
Both backup keepers, Deeprovat and Syed Bukhari has failed to live upto expectations. Vishal Kaith is the only viable option as the Goalkeeper for Mohun Bagan.
One of our main points of concern has been the defence, especially our wing backs. Ashish Rai will most likely be our starter, with Raj and Rahul as the backups. Rahul Bheke, though experienced, has been quite underwhelming as CB in CFL and Durand Cup. He can serve as a great backup option for Ashish as he has played as a right-back for a major part of his career.
On the other hand, Alberto is a no-brainer. A centre-back pairing of him and our new signing Alex Saji would be a good synergy to build upon. Although he didn't get enough gametime in the Durand Cup, he has proven his mettle during his spells at Hyderabad and Delhi and deserves to start in the IFA Shield.
Coming to the most problematic position of our squad - the Left Back. Our captain and long serving Mariner has honestly not been up to the mark since the end of last season and it's evident in this season as well. Young prodigies like Rabilal, Umer and Roshan should be given a chance in these matches to test the waters.
Our midfield will feature new foreigners, Samir and Miguel, along with Deepak Tangri or Abhishek Suryavanshi to dominate the midfield. Sandeep could also be a good backup, who had an amazing CFL stint!
The attack would highly depend on Maclaren, Drazic and Chhangte and Lee as backup. The new Scottish striker can start alongside Macca if Coach Panos wishes to field an ultra-attacking lineup.
EXCL: IFA Shield ধরে রাখার অভিযানে আগামী পরশু শ্রীনিধী ডেকান এফসি'র বিরুদ্ধে নামবে মোহনবাগান। আজ সরকারি ভাবে শিল্ডের জন্য দল নথিভুক্ত করলো মোহনবাগান। বাগানের ৩৫ জনের তালিকায় বড়ো চমক নতুন স্ট্রাইকার লী আরউইন। দলে জায়গা করে নিয়েছেন সন্দীপ মালিক, শাহজিদ গাজি'র মতো তরুণ তুর্কি…
— MBFT (@MBFT89) September 21, 2026
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Mohun Bagan in 4-3-3 Default Formation: Vishal(GK); Rai, Bheke, Alberto, Subhasish(C); Abhishek Suryavanshi, Samir, Miguel; Drazic, Maclaren, Chhangte.Mohun Bagan in 4-4-2 Six Foreigner Formation: Vishal(Gk); Rai, Saji, Alberto, Rabilal ; Drazic, Samir, Miguel, Chhangte; Maclaren (C), Erwin.
Mohun Bagan in 3-4-3 Diamond Formation: Vishal(GK); Rahul, Saji, Alberto; Deepak, Samir, Sandeep, Miguel; Drazic, Erwin, Chhangte.
Coach: Panagiotis Dilmperis.
Click Here for IFA Shield YT Preview Analysis by Probudhya Guchait.
This IFA Shield will be the real challenge for Panagiotis as Mohun Bagan's Head Coach. With this star-studded squad, can he defend the title? That's all the Mariners are waiting to see before the ISL kicks off!
