The Indian men's football team is set to resume their FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualification campaign on Friday, March 22, as they feature in the second round of the Asian qualifiers. The highly anticipated match between The Blue Tigers and Afghanistan will be hosted at the Damac Club Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia. Currently, the Indian football team holds the third spot in Group A. The team kicked off its campaign in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a 1-0 win over Kuwait. However, they faced setbacks in subsequent games, losing to Kuwait before Qatar defeated them 3-0 on home ground.
Led by Sunil Chhetri, the Indian side will be eager to bounce back against Afghanistan and conclude their Saudi Arabia trip on a positive note. On the other hand, Afghanistan has yet to secure a win in the campaign, suffering defeats against Qatar and Kuwait.
India skipper, who won two I-League titles and a Federation Cup playing under Westwood at Bengaluru FC, shared his thoughts on the Afghanistan side.
"They will play like a unit, they will be aggressive, they will know exactly what they have to do because that's how Ashley Westwood is. But I think it's more about us. We are here right in the corner of Saudi Arabia and we really have to bounce back after what happened in the Asian Cup. It's not going to be easy. We have to turn up," said Chhetri.
Afghanistan is currently at the bottom of the Group A table. They will face India again in the return leg on 26 March at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. India holds a dominant record against Afghanistan, leading 7-1 in head-to-head encounters, with three fixtures ending in draws. This marks the fourth official match between the two sides in five years.
Here's all You Need to Know about How and Where to Watch India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match:
When: India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier will be played on 21 March, Thursday.
Where: The match will take place at the Damac Club Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Time: Kick-off is scheduled for 12:30 AM IST on Friday (22 March).
TV Channels: The match will be televised on the DD Sports channel in India.
Live Streaming: Fans can stream the match live on the FanCode App and website in India.
Probable Line-ups:
India: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Nikhil Poojary, Anwar Ali, Subhasish Bose, Akash Mishra, Apuia, Jeakson Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sahal Abdul Samad, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sunil Chhetri.
Afghanistan: Ovays Azizi (GK), Zoheb Islam Amiri, Sharif Mukhammad, Mahboob Hanifi, Habibulla Askar, Omid Popalzay, Mustafa Azadzoy, Jabar Sharza, Rahmat Akbari, Balal Arezou, Omid Musawi.