Tonbridge Angels Under-18’s are delighted to be able to announce that they will be entertaining international opposition in the shape of Indian Super League club, Punjab FC on Monday, 29th July, kick off 19.45. Admission will be free and the bar and kiosk will be open.

Punjab FC are in England to compete in the Next Generation Cup, hosted by the Premier League that will involve teams from England, South Africa and India. More of which can be found HERE.

Established in 2020, Punjab FC is a rising force in Indian football which is dedicated to channeling youth energy towards the sport and elevating India’s presence on the global football stage. Known for their fast, progressive and inspiring brand of football, they are the sole professional club from North India to win the I-League and get promoted to the Indian Super League (ISL). With a squad of promising domestic and international talents, they are reshaping football coaching, infrastructure, and grassroots development in Punjab, nurturing talent to international standards.

Punjab FC Coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said, “The match against Tonbridge Angels will be a good test for the team before the NextGen Cup. We can get acclimatised to the local conditions and analyse the team’s performance before the start of the main tournament. We expect a good match and the young side to give us a tough fight.”

Punjab FC qualified for the Next Generation Cup by becoming the champions of the RFDL National Youth Championship by remaining unbeaten in the whole tournament. In the Regional Qualifiers, they played 10 matches winning nine and tied one to qualify for the National Championships. They scored 33 goals in total and conceded just nine goals to complete a dominant qualifiers. In the National Group Stage, they topped Group D to qualify for the semi-finals, scoring 11 and conceding just a single goal in the four matches. Punjab FC beat Bengaluru FC in the semi-final and beat East Bengal 3-2 in a thrilling final. 

This promises to be not only a stern test for Dom Welsh’s Under-18’s but also a great honour that Punjab have decided to come to Tonbridge for one of their warm-up games before potentially facing the might of Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur.