It is now known what will happen to the Indian football team in the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round Two. After being drawn with Afghanistan, Qatar, and Kuwait, the Blue Tigers were dealt a difficult draw.
Igor Stimac’s team, though, has had the ideal start to the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, defeating Kuwait 1-0 on the road. India’s main rivals for the second qualifying spot in their group, based on FIFA rankings, are Kuwait.
Although there is still much work ahead for the Blue Tigers, a win against Qatar on Tuesday would significantly boost their standing.
After obtaining a 99th place ranking in the FIFA Rankings at the time of the draw cutoff, India was positioned in Pot 2 of the Qualifiers ahead of the Qualifiers. The top-ranked team in the group was Qatar, who was ranked 59th in the FIFA Rankings. India and Kuwait, who was ranked 137th at the time of the draw, were the next two teams in the group. At the time of the draw, Afghanistan (ranked 157th) was the fourth team in the group.
Group A’s four teams are playing in a double round-robin format, home and away, between November 2023 and June 2024, just like the eight other AFC groups.
How does India qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2026?
The path is easy to follow but challenging. India must place in the top two of Group A at the very least. The nine group winners and their corresponding runners-up advance to the third round of the World Cup qualifying. India will also guarantee their spot in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 by doing this.
All 18 teams—the nine group winners and their corresponding runners-up—will be divided into three groups of six teams at the third round draw of the international competition in 2024. The teams that finish first and second in each of these three groups in the third round will automatically qualify for the main event.
In the year 2022.
What happens if India places outside the top two group winners in the third round?
If the Indian football team does not place in the top two teams at the end of the third round, things will become even more difficult for them. In the fourth round, the teams from the three groups that finished third and fourth in the third round will play each other again.
There will be six teams in the fourth round, each with two groups. The six AFC teams that advanced from the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be joined by the winners of the two groups.
India’s journey will come to an end if they place last in the group in round four. They will advance to the fifth round, though, if they do place second in their group. Subsequently, these two fourth-round runners-up will square off in a two-leg match for a spot in the Inter-Confederation playoffs.
The five-round winner will play alongside the winners of the CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and CAF (Africa), as well as two teams from the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean). There will be two knockout matches between the four FIFA teams with the lowest rankings. In a second round of knockout matches, the two winners will play the two top-seeded teams. The recipients of.
When the Indian football team plays Qatar, the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions, at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, they will face a tough opponent in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier campaign.
Qatar is first in Group A and has a strong team. They are ranked 61st in the FIFA rankings. The Blue Tigers are hoping to upset one of Asia’s football heavyweights and put on their best home performance, so Tuesday’s game promises to be a fierce battle.
India and Qatar both achieved outstanding victories in a concurrent start to the qualifying round. Using the entire pitch and launching constant attacks from the wings, Qatar dominated their match against Afghanistan, winning 8-1, while India received the
