Men in Blue kickstarted the second round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers with an impressive 1-0 victory over Kuwait. Blue Tigers is eyeing to create history by qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2026, a feat they failed to achieve before. India is ranked 99th in the FIFA Rankings, sharing Group A with Qatar, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Qatar poses a serious threat to India, as the former ranked 59th in the FIFA Rankings. While, Kuwait and Afghanistan are in the 137th and 157th spots, respectively. Current StandingsAfter the Blue Tigers defeated Kuwait in the away game, India is in the second spot in the group position. While Qatar leads the group after its thumping 8-1 win over Afghanistan. India will face a tough challenge against the highly-ranked team in the qualifiers. Qatar is in a good rhythm as it is also the defending champion of the AFC Asian Cup. Stimacs men will be expecting a positive outcome against the lower-ranked teams Afghanistan and Kuwait, which will propel the team into the next round of qualification.𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 @manvir_singh07 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚💙🇮🇳🎥 @SonyLIVHighlights 👉🏼 https://t.co/mqlUn22lpH#FIFAWorldCup 🏆 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/gD9lJ9beYW— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) November 17, 2023Qualification scenario of FIFA World Cup 2026A total of 36 teams are fighting to reserve their spot in FIFA World Cup 2026. The teams are divided into 9 groups, with four teams in each group in a round-robin format from November 2023 to June 2024. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the next round. A total of 18 players will reach the next round of qualifiers where the teams will be divided again, with each group consisting of 6 teams. The top two teams will qualify for the next round. If India manages to secure the top spot in the fourth- round then it will qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026.
