The Indian national football team is actively fighting for a ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the second qualification stage. The selection will also become part of the qualifications for the Asian Cup. To conduct a high-quality analysis of your favorite team’s games, just go to the trusted bookmaker Pin Up Bet website, where you can track the shape of the athletes and teams you follow. Let’s look into what requirements are imposed on the Indian team to qualify for the World Cup and under what conditions the team will be able to win the right to participate in the next Asian Cup.

Second round of qualification

Due to their ranking, the Indian national team automatically advanced to the second stage of the qualifying tournament. Their opponents were the national teams of Qatar, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Of course, the Qatar national team is the main favorite of this group since it is the current champion of Asia.

The main intrigue of the group is the Indian team’s matches against Kuwait and Afghanistan. The second place in the group will be decided between these three teams.

In November 2023, Igor Stimac’s team began its path to qualification, defeating the Kuwait team with a score of 1:0 but losing to the Qatar team with a score of 0:3.

In March, the Indian team played two head-to-head matches with the Afghanistan team. Unfortunately, these matches did not bring the desired results. The first game on the Afghanistan field was a 0:0 draw. Three goals were scored in the second match, in which the Indians were the hosts. However, the Indian team was defeated 1:2. Despite this, India still has a good chance of reaching the next stage in the stream.

The teams that take the top two places will advance to the third round of the qualification process and will automatically be considered for the 2027 Asian Cup. To qualify for the 2026 World Cup, you must go through the third round of Asian qualification and take the first two positions in the group.

Even if they lose in the third round, teams will retain at least two chances to qualify for the World Cup through the fourth and fifth rounds of qualification.

The situation in the group after the matches with Afghanistan 

Despite the defeat and draw in two matches with Afghanistan, India is in second place in the group standings. In parallel matches, Qatar beat Kuwait twice and now leads the group. The standings look like this:

The Indian team has two more matches ahead in the group. On June 6, India will play against Kuwait at home in a must-win match for the Indians. After the game with Kuwait, India will face a tough match against the Qatar national team on their field.

Progress of the Indian national football team

In January 2024, the Indian team played in the Asian Cup. India’s results in today’s Asia Cup points table could be better. Led by Igor Stimac, the team finished last in a group that included Syria, Uzbekistan, and Australia. However, even before the start of the tournament, the head coach warned that the primary goal of this competition was to prepare the team for the qualifying matches for the World Cup.

Indian football ambitions are focused on the upcoming world tournament. According to many experts, Sunil Chhetri should become a conduit between the new generation of football stars and experienced players. Indian team is currently developing a new generation of players who will be able to achieve significant results in the international arena in the future. Even if this does not happen in the upcoming tournament, the Indian team should be a part of the World Cup in subsequent seasons.