On Friday, March 15, 2024, the senior men’s national team of India departed for Abha, Saudi Arabia, in preparation for their away leg against Afghanistan in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification.
The Blue Tigers and the Afghans will square off in Abha on March 21, 2024 (March 22, 12:30 am IST). The Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati will host India’s home match against the same opponent on March 26, 2024.
In Group A of the qualifications, India and Kuwait are now equal on three points, with Kuwait leading on goal differential.
The Blue Tigers defeated Kuwait (1-0) in Kuwait City in their opening match of the qualifiers, before losing to Qatar (0-3) in Bhubaneswar. Qatar currently leads the group with 6 points. India, under head coach Igor Stimac, will look to bring its performances back on track after a forgetful campaign in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in January, when it lost against Australia (0-2), Uzbekistan (0-3), and Syria (0-1), returning home without a point or a goal to its name.
The line-up of Indian team:
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Vikram Partap Singh
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Imran Khan
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh, Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Subhasish Bose, Anwar Ali, Amey Ranawade, Jay Gupta
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith
