The Indian football team will play against Qatar today in their second game of Round Two of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asia Cup 2027 Qualifiers Preliminary Joint Qualification at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. India is heading into the match after a 1-0 victory over Kuwait with the courtesy of a goal by Manvir Singh, in the away game on November 16. Meanwhile, Qatar crushed Afghanistan 8-1 and found themselves firmly at the top of the table.
Qatar, currently ranked 61 in the FIFA World rankings, will provide a tough fight to India, who are ranked 101 in the current FIFA rankings. The winner of the match would top the table. However, a draw for India would also be a favourable result for them, and prove sufficient to qualify for the Round Three of the World Cup qualifiers, considering their next match is against a weaker Afghanistan side.
India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: When and Where to watch?
The India vs Qatar 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier match will be broadcast live on Sports18 1 and other Sports18 channels. The kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Road to FIFA World Cup and AFC Asia Cup
India is grouped with Kuwait, Afghanistan and Qatar for the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asia Cup qualifiers. The teams will play in a double round-robin format on a home-and-away basis between November 2023 and June 2024.
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.