New Delhi : The Indian football team has been drawn in Group A of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, where they will face Qatar, Kuwait, and the winner of the Afghanistan-Mongolia match.
The United States, Canada and Mexico will co-host the World Cup in 2026. It will be different from any previous World Cup. The number of teams will be increased now. This edition, 48 teams will participate instead of 32, which are 16 more than the last edition. The AFC will have almost twice as many places available. There are now eight Asian teams eligible to participate in the coming world cup.
It may be recalled that India last defeated Kuwait in the SAFF Championship final and drew with Qatar in the last World Cup qualifier. Later this year, Igor Stimac’s side will begin their qualifying campaign which will last till June 2024. Qatar is the top-ranked team in Group A (WR -59), followed by India (WR -99) and Kuwait (WR -137).
Following this, India will participate in the King’s Cup in September, the Medric Cup in October and the World Cup qualifiers in November. These qualifying tournaments will be held for two years in which the Indian team has to remain among the top eight teams. Iran, Uzbekistan, Japan, China and Korea will be a big challenge for India. If India is successful, it will be eligible to participate in the FIFA World Cup.
India is currently ranked 99th in FIFA ranking and can learn from North Korea. North Korea qualified for the 2010 World Cup despite being ranked 105th.
The Indian football team had qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1950. FIFA had invited four Asian teams to the 1950 World Cup, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma) and India. Before the start of the qualifying round, the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar withdrew. The Indian team was then allocated a place but refused to play.
The Indian squad was reported to have played barefoot football on the field in the 1950s, according to media reports. Team India was unable to attend as a result. At the same time, the Indian Football Association lacked a solid financial foundation. The Indian team was unable to afford the trip to Brazil, and FIFA did not want to cover the expenses of the trip to India. As a consequence, Team India was unable to compete in the FIFA World Cup.
