Ahead of the FIFA under-17 World Cup, Bengaluru is likely to host an international friendly later this month which will pit the Indian under-17 team against its Malian counterpart.
The Indian team has, in fact, been training in the city for the past three weeks and is expected to stay put till the World Cup starts on October 6.
While the final squad is yet to be announced — the deadline being September 21 — the group of probables is being put through its paces by coach Luis Norton de Matos.
Bengaluru is not one of the World Cup venues, but the city was chosen to avoid the monsoon elsewhere, it has been learnt. However, in spite of the State capital having received more than its fair share of rainfall in August, practice hasn’t been severely hampered, an AIFF source confirmed.