Moving on from cricket, Indian football team is just a step away from the FIFA world cup’26 qualifiers.

India, who is unbeaten right now, has an easy path, but because it’s hard, they need local help.
India’s men’s football team defeated Kuwait on Thursday to start their Round 2 FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers in a great manner. Manvir Singh scored the only goal at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in the 75th minute.

In Round 2, India, Kuwait, Qatar, and Afghanistan are in Group A. November 21 at Bhubaneswar is the date of India’s next game versus Qatar. India needs to finish in the top two spots in Group A by the end of Round 2 in order to move on to the third round.

In Round 2, from November 2023 to June 2024, every team in Group A and eight other AFC groups will play against one another in a double round robin style, both at home and away. India’s home and away, football matches will be against Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Qatar.

India’s World Cup qualifying campaign will be difficult but manageable if they are to finish in the top two in Group A. A total of 18 teams, comprising nine group winners and their respective runners-up, will advance to Round 3, guaranteeing a place in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Also read: 2 games 2 centuries. “It feels like a dream” Virat Kohli on his greatest achievement of becoming the cricketer with most ODI centuries.

Three groups of six teams each will be chosen by drawing in 2024 for the third round. Each group’s top two teams will guarantee spots in the main competition.

India missed out on direct promotion after finishing third in their group in the previous 2022 World Cup Qualifiers. Having taken the top two slots, Oman and Qatar advanced to the next round.

India, placed 102nd in the FIFA rankings, will take on 61st-ranked Qatar in a tough match. The venue for this forthcoming match is Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

In the upcoming Round, experienced player Sunil Chhetri’s performance would be vital for India.