India’s Football Team Faces Tough Group Opponents In FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers
Malaysia, 29th July 2023: During the draw held at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday, the Indian football team was placed in a group alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and the winner between Afghanistan and Mongolia for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
India finds themselves grouped with 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, Kuwait, and the finalist between Afghanistan and Mongolia from the upcoming match.
The dream of reaching the World Cup has received a significant boost for India, thanks to their recent outstanding performances. The team aims to carry this momentum into the Asian Cup as well as the World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
India has been in excellent form this year, clinching the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship titles consecutively without facing a defeat. In the final of the Intercontinental Cup, Sunil Chhetri and his teammates defeated Lebanon 2-0 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
The success continued in the SAFF Championship, where the Igor Stimac-coached team secured victory in the summit clash against Kuwait through a penalty shootout at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
These impressive performances have propelled India into the top 100 of the FIFA World Rankings. Furthermore, the Indian men’s and women’s teams were granted permission by the sports ministry to participate in the Asian Games 2023, relaxing the internal rule that required a team to be among the top 8 in the continent to be eligible for the competition.
The draw for the Asia World Cup qualifiers resulted in the following groups:
Group A consists of Qatar, India, Kuwait, and the triumphant team from the Afghanistan-Mongolia match.
Group B: In Group B, the teams competing are Japan, Syria, North Korea, and the winner of the matchup between Myanmar and Macau.
Group C: Group C consists of South Korea, China, Thailand, and the winner between Singapore and Guam.
Group D: Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, and the winner between Taiwan and East Timor make up Group D.
Group E: Group E comprises Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and the winner between Hong Kong and Bhutan.
Group F: Iraq, Vietnam, Philippines, and the winner between Indonesia and Brunei from Group F.
Group G: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tajikistan, and the winner between Cambodia and Pakistan are the teams in Group G.
Group H: The teams in Group H are the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, the winner between Yemen and Sri Lanka, and the winner between Nepal and Laos.
Group I: Group I consists of Australia, Palestine, Lebanon, and the winner between Maldives and Bangladesh.
