FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Schedule : Team INDIA

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Schedule

FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers the Indian men’s football team is getting ready to play in the second round of the AFC qualifiers. Fans of Indian football are excited for a series of exciting matches that will test their skills and determination as the team advances through the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers. Group A’s toughest opponents for the team, captained by Sunil Chhetri, include Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Asian champions Qatar. This is an exclusive look at the matches that will take place in the quest to earn a direct entry into the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and a desired spot in the third qualifying round.

FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers: Indian football squad

• Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith
• Defenders: Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Roshan Singh Naorem, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose
• Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Lalengmawia, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh Kumam
• Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul KP, Sunil Chhetri

Historical Angle

The Indian men’s football team has come a long way, representing their country in four Olympic Games and four AFC Asian Cups, but they have yet to secure a spot in the FIFA World Cup main draw. India’s best result in the AFC Asian Cup was a second-place finish in 1964.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Qualifications for the AFC

August 1, 2022 saw the introduction of a revised qualification format to allow for an expanded finals allocation, which included one play-off qualifier and eight direct qualifiers:

• First Round: A two-leg home-and-away match between twenty teams (ranked 27–46) was played. The ten winning teams moved on to the next phase. The losing teams can still compete in the AFC Solidarity Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification play-off round (nine).
• Second Round: Nine groups of four teams were formed from the thirty-six teams (ranked 1–26 and the ten first-round winners). These groups played each other both at home and away. The three-round competition saw the nine group winners and runners-up advance, earning automatic qualification for the AFC Asian Cup.
• Third Round: After making it past the second round, eighteen teams were split up into three groups of six teams each. The teams engaged in home-and-away competition. The teams that placed third and fourth advanced to the fourth round, while the top two teams from each group received direct qualification for the FIFA World Cup.
• Fourth Round: Two groups of three teams each were formed from the six teams that made up the third and fourth place finishers from the third round. Every match was played once at an impartial location. The group winners qualified for the World Cup, while the runners-up went to the next round.
• Fifth Round: To choose the Asian representative for the inter-confederation play-offs, the group runners-up from the fourth round competed in a two-leg home-and-away match.

AFC qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tiebreakers

Regulations Article 11.5 provides the following criteria for determining standings in the event of a tie for the two round-robin formats:(8)

• Maximum number of points earned across all group games—three for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss.
• greater goal differential across every group game.
• The highest number of goals scored in every group game

Conclusion

The Indian men’s football team is set to play in the second round of the AFC qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026, with tough opponents including Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Asian champions Qatar, as they aim for a direct entry into the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and a spot in the third qualifying round.

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