New Delhi: After defeating Kuwait on their home ground, the Indian football team will aim to make it two from two when they host Qatar in a Group A match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday (November 21). The Blue Tigers are placed alongside Qatar, Kuwait and Afghanistan with the top two teams progressing to the third round. If India manage to finish in top two in the second and third rounds, India will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held in USA, Mexico and Canada.
For the record, the Indian team have never crossed the second round of FIFA World Cup AFC qualifying but have a great chance of changing their fortunes. Notably, the FIFA World Cup from 2026 will be a 48-team affair instead of a 36-team tournament that was there till 2022.
Ranked 61st in FIFA Rankings, Qatar are coming into this game on the back of an 8-1 thrashing of Afghanistan. India (102), on the other hand, were helped by a Manvir Singh late goal, to stun Kuwait. 2019 straight with a dominating win against the 102nd-ranked India.
India have played Qatar thrice in history, losing twice and playing a goalless draw once. Both teams met for the first time in 1996 with Qatar winning 6-0. They met for the second time in 2019 with neither team opening the goalmouth. India’s draw earned them a huge appreciation considering their then rankings (India were below Qatar at that time). In their third meeting, Qatar defeated India by a solitary goal. Incidentally, all three games were a part of FIFA World Cup AFC Qualifiers.
The India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifying match will be telecasted live on Sports 18 channels. Live streaming of India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifying match will be available on Jio Cinema app and website.
