India Fifa World Cup 2026 qualifiers: Blue Tigers to face Qatar, Kuwait in second round

The Indian men's football team has been drawn into Group A for the AFC second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The group also includes Qatar, Kuwait, and the winner of the match between Afghanistan and Mongolia. The draw ceremony took place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

India's recent successes, including defeating Kuwait in the SAFF Championship final and holding 2019 AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar to a draw in the previous World Cup qualifying campaign, have contributed to their placement in Pot 2 of the draw.

Under the guidance of coach Igor Stimac, India will commence their qualifying campaign later this year, which will run until June 2024. In Group A, Qatar, ranked 59th in the world, is the top-ranked team, followed by India at 99th and Kuwait at 137th.

The AFC second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will involve 36 teams, divided into nine groups of four each. The teams will compete in a home and away round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will advance to the third round of qualification and also qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup. The remaining teams will move to the third round of the Asian Cup qualification.

For India, finishing second in the group will be a significant achievement, showcasing sustained competitiveness at the Asian level – a feat that has eluded Indian football in the past.

Out of the 36 teams, 26 have received byes to this round, while the remaining 10 teams will consist of winners from the first-round matches, which are yet to take place.

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