The Indian football team displayed resilience but faced a tough 0-3 defeat against the Asian Champions Qatar during the second round of qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Odisha's Kalinga Stadium on November 21, Tuesday. Throughout the 90 minutes, Qatar dominated the game and could have scored more goals but missed several opportunities. Their goals came from Moustafa Tarek Mashal (4th minute), Almeoz Ali (47th minute), and Yusuf Adurisag (86th minute). While this loss has put a dent in Sunil Chhetri's team’s qualification hopes, India still has a chance to feature in the World Cup as the qualifiers continue.
Currently, Qatar leads the group after victories against India (3-0) and Afghanistan (8-1), with Kuwait securing the second spot following a dominant 4-1 win over Afghanistan. India's position slipped to third after the 0-3 loss to Qatar, despite their earlier 1-0 win against Kuwait. Although India (-2) sit below Kuwait (+3) due to goal difference, they could still claim the second spot in Group A if upcoming match results swing in their favour. This would allow them to progress to the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers in 2024.
The qualification format involves Group A, where all four teams compete in a double round-robin format from November 2023 to June 2024. To secure a place in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, Sunil Chhetri's team needs to finish in the top two positions in the group.
Should India finish in the top two, they will advance to the draw for the third round in 2024, competing against other group winners and runners-up. The top two teams from each third-round group will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup. However, if India doesn’t secure a top-two finish, there's still a chance. In a more complex scenario, the third and fourth-placed teams in the third-round groups will progress to the fourth round.
In Round 4, the remaining teams from the third round will be split into two groups of three teams each. These teams will play single matches at a neutral venue, with the group winners qualifying for the World Cup and the runners-up advancing to Round 5.
Round 5 involves home-and-away matches, with the winners qualifying for the inter-confederation play-off and the ultimate chance to secure a spot in the World Cup.