India World Cup qualifiers: Group analysis, head to head, best performance
The draw for the joint qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 took place on July 27 in Malaysia.
The Indian men’s football team has been clubbed in Group A alongside reigning champions Qatar, Kuwait and the winner of Afghanistan and Mongolia. Having bagged two titles in the last month — the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Championships– India has risen to No 99 in the FIFA rankings.
ꜰɪꜰᴀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴄᴜᴘ 2026 ᴘʀᴇʟɪᴍɪɴᴀʀʏ ᴊᴏɪɴᴛ Qᴜᴀʟɪꜰɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʀᴏᴜɴᴅ 2 🤩👏🏽
ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ᴀ
🇶🇦
🇮🇳
🇰🇼
🇦🇫 / 🇲🇳#FIFAWorldCup 🏆 #AsianCup2027 🏆 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/s2uCuzVI5j— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 27, 2023
In the AFC second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifications, 36 teams are divided into nine groups of four each.
After a home and away round robin format, the top two teams in each group will make it to the third round of World Cup qualifiers and make it to the 2027 Asian Cup. With only one team, Qatar, ranked higher than them, India look good, at least on paper, to advance to the next round.
TSN looks at how India compares to the other teams in Group A.
What is the FIFA ranking of Qatar?
Qatar is currently ranked 99 in the world.
What is India’s record against Qatar?
In the three matches played, Qatar has won two while one game has ended in a draw. In the very first clash between the two nations, during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September 1996, Qatar was a runaway 6-0 winner.
India faced Qatar two more times in the World Cup qualifying event, holding the West Asian team to a 0-0 draw in 2019 and suffering a 0-1 defeat in 2021.
What is the FIFA ranking of Kuwait?
Though once ranked 24 in the world, Kuwait has slipped to 137 in the FIFA rankings.
What is India’s record against Kuwait?
India have faced off against Kuwait on five occasions before this, winning two, losing two and holding them to a draw once.
In their first clash, Kuwait beat India 6-1 in the 1978 Asian Games. While India won an international friendly against them 3-2 in 2004, they suffered a heavy 9-1 defeat at the hands of Kuwait in a friendly encounter in 2010.
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Kuwait was one of the two West Asian teams invited for the 2023 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championships tournament, which took place in Bengaluru earlier this month.
The two teams were involved in two absorbing contests. In the group stage, Kuwait ended India’s run of eight successive clean sheets as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
India beat Kuwait 5-4 in sudden death in the SAFF Championship final on July 4, after the teams were tied 1-1 at extra time.
What is the FIFA ranking of Afghanistan?
Afghanistan is ranked 157 in the world.
What is India’s record against Afghanistan?
Of the 11 matches contested between the two teams, India has won seven and three have ended in a draw.
Afghanistan’s sole win came in the final of the 2013 SAFF Championship. They defeated India 2-0 to win their first and only SAFF Championship title.
The most recent match between the two nations was the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers third round in June 2022. Playing in front of the boisterous Salt Lake Stadium crowd, India emerged 2-1 winners.
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What is the FIFA ranking of Mongolia?
Mongolia is currently 183 in the FIFA rankings.
What is India’s record against Mongolia?
India has won the only match played between the two sides. During the Intercontinental Cup in 2023, hosts India scored a 2-0 win over the Asian side.
What is India’s best performance in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers?
India has participated in nine editions of the World Cup qualifiers but haven’t managed to make it to the mega event yet. Of the 51 matches they have played in the qualifying event, India have managed to win only ten so far.
India’s best performance came during the qualifying event for the 2002 World Cup. Of the six matches played, India won three and drew two. They scored a famous 1-0 win over the mighty United Arab Emirates in Bangalore in 2001.
India finished the campaign with a 5-0 win over Brunei. At the end of the group stage, India had 11 points, only one less than UAE, who progressed to the next stage.
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