New Delhi: The Blue Tigers have been drawn in Group A of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 against Qatar, Kuwait, and winners of the Round 1 match between Afghanistan and Mongolia, after the draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Beginning from Pot 2 of the Qualifiers, India, who are placed 99th in the FIFA Rankings, will face Qatar (59th), Kuwait (137th), and the winners of the match between Afghanistan (157th), Mongolia (183rd) in a double round-robin format on a home-and-away basis.
Now the question lies, how can India make it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The route is simple but difficult. India need to ensure a minimum top-two finish in Group A, with the nine group winners and the respective runners-up progressing to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. By doing so, India will also confirm their place in the 2027 edition of the AFC Asian Cup.
The draw for the third round of the global event will take place in 2024 with all 18 teams – the nine group winners and the respective runners-up – to be slotted into three groups of six teams. The top two teams within these three groups in the third round will seal their place in the showpiece event.
During the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, India finished third in their group, with group toppers Qatar and second-placed Oman advancing to the third round.
What if India doesn’t finish among the top two group toppers in round three?
Things will get even more challenging for the Indian football team, in case they do not finish among the top two sides in round three. The third and fourth-placed teams among the three groups in the third round will have to battle it out in the fourth round.
The fourth round will consist of six teams divided into two groups each. The winner of the two groups will join the other six AFC sides that qualified from the third round at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Finishing the bottom of the group in round four will ensure the end of the road for India. However, if they do finish second in their Group, they will make their way to the Fifth round. These two second-placed teams from the fourth round will then take on each other in a two-legged clash for a place in the Inter-confederation playoffs.
The winner of the fifth round will join the respective winners from the CAF (Africa), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania) and two teams from the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean). The four lowest-ranked FIFA teams will face each other in two knockout matches. The two winners will face the two highest-ranked teams in another set of knockout games. The winners of these two knockout matches will confirm their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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In the previous edition of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers for the AFC Region, Australia and the United Arab Emirates were among the two teams that finished third in the Third Round. The Socceroos later on defeated the Arab side 2-1 to make their way into the inter-confederation playoffs. In the fifth round, Australia beat CONMEBOL side Peru on penalties and joined Costa Rica, the other inter-confederation playoff winner, for a place at the showpiece event in Qatar.
