In an away match, India successfully kicked off their campaign for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Kuwait, as Manvir Singh scored the only goal of the match in the 75th minute. Lallianzuala Chhangte, from the left, swung an excellent cross, which Manvir with a first-touch, shot in the nets.
India is grouped with Kuwait, Afghanistan and Qatar for the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers. In the other match, Qatar dominated Afghanistan, winning 8-1, and cementing their top spot in the table by a goal difference of 7. India will face Qatar on November 21 at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. The teams will play in a double round-robin format on a home-and-away basis between November 2023 and June 2024.
Round up
India, ranked 99th in the FIFA world rankings, is only second to Qatar (59th). Kuwait (137th) and Afghanistan (157th) are ranked much below than India. In other groups, Australia defeated Bangladesh by 7-0, UAE defeated Nepal (4-0), Saudi Arabia defeated Pakistan (4-0), and Japan defeated Myanmar by 5-0.
How can India qualify for the World Cup?
The top two teams of the nine groups will qualify for the third round of the qualifiers. Progressing to the third round will also lead to India’s direct qualification for the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The 18 qualifying teams of the nine groups will be placed in three groups of six teams each, who will contest for the top two spots in their group.
However, if India fails to qualify in the top two in the third round, the third and fourth-placed teams among the three groups in the third round will have to battle it out in the fourth round.
The fourth round will consist of six teams divided into two groups each, and their winner will also qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
The road to the FIFA World Cup would require a consistent and phenomenal performance for the entire next couple of years from the Indian side, where they would have to beat top Asian sides that are well-experienced and ranked higher than India.
The six teams who will top their groups will get a chance to play in the FIFA World Cup 2026, set to be co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.