 "Qatar vs India, FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Can India qualify for the third round?")
India enter the sixth and final matchday of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar with a massive task at hand. Second in Group A standings in the second round, India have a massive challenge ahead of them: to qualify for the third round for the very first time.
Standing in their path are World No. 34 and 2023 Asian Cup champions Qatar. To be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, it is also the beginning of a new era in Indian football after Sunil Chhetri retired last week.
India’s results in second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers
India are currently second in Group A with five points from five matches played - winning one and drawing two. The other matches ended in defeats. Disappointingly for India, the last win, across competitions, came in November last year.
The last time India played Qatar was on 21 November, 2023. On that day, Qatar ended India’s 15-game unbeaten run at home with a 3-0 result. Moustafa Tarek Mashal, Almoez Ali and Yusuf Abdurisag found the net for the Qataris.
A look at Indian football team’s results in the second round:
Kuwait 0-1 India
India 0-3 Qatar
Afghanistan 0-0 India
India 1-2 Afghanistan
India 0-0 Kuwait
What is India’s record against Qatar?
Bearing the thunder, never backing down! ⚡️🇮🇳#QATIND #FIFAWorldCup 🏆 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/B2Bk7PwKYO
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 10, 2024
India and Qatar have played four games over the years. Qatar have won three of them and one ended in a draw.
September 1996: Qatar 6-0 India
September 2019: Qatar 0-0 India
June 2021: India 0-1 Qatar
November 2023: India 0-3 Qatar
How can India qualify for the third round?
𝐃𝐎-𝐎𝐑-𝐃𝐈𝐄 🇮🇳
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 11, 2024
It's time for our boys to face the challenge head-on.
Let's rally behind our team 💙🙌🏻
💻 Watch the LIVE streaming only on @FanCode #QATIND #FIFAWorldCup 🏆 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/fPt8qtaRI8
First, a look at how the table is stacked. Qatar top the standings with 13 points - four wins and a draw - followed by India (5 points), Afghanistan (5 points) and Kuwait (4 points).
The top two teams qualify for the next stage and Qatar have already booked their place. In case two teams finish on same number of points, the goal difference marks as the tie-breaker. India’s goal difference (-3) is significantly better than that of Afghanistan (-10).
There are only two outcomes in which India qualify for the next round of the qualification tournament. India need to beat Qatar in Doha or hold them to a draw. If there is indeed a draw, the Blue Tigers would have to hope that there is a draw between Afghanistan and Kuwait as well at the Ali Al-Salem Al-Sabah Stadium in Al Farwaniyah. Both games will kick-off simultaneously.
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