The Indian men’s football team will get to know their fate for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers with the draw to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday.
The Sunil Chhetri-led side has been experiencing a remarkable resurgence under the guidance of head coach Igor Stimac. Since the beginning of the year, the Blue Tigers have demonstrated outstanding quality of football, which has reflected in their results.
The transformation of the Indian football team have seen them clinch three consecutive titles and remain unbeaten in all 11 matches they have played in the calendar year, securing victory in seven games and drawing four.
India cruised past Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan to clinch the Tri-Nation title before overcoming a resilient Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup. In the SAFF Championship, India faced a sterner test in the form of Lebanon and Kuwait, but successfully clinched their ninth title.
As a result of their impressive performance, India has climbed to the 99th place in the latest FIFA rankings, released on July 20. More significantly, the Blue Tigers have maintained a position higher than Lebanon, courtesy of their performance against them in recent encounters. Thus, Stimac’s men have stuck to the 18th spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will feature 48 teams for the first time, with the AFC receiving eight confirmed spots, and one additional team will get a chance to qualify for the World Cup through a play-off tournament.
A total of 45 nations from the AFC region will compete for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Securing the 18th place in the continental ranking section means India has now confirmed its position in Pot 2 and has directly qualified for the second round.
The top nine teams in the AFC will be placed in Pot 1, while the nations ranked between 10 to 18 will find themselves in Pot 2. The third Pot will include teams ranked from 19 to 27, while the bottom 18 AFC nations will feature in Round 1, with nine of the winners making their way into Pot 4 for the Round 2 draws.
Thus, securing Pot 2 means India will only have to face one higher-ranked team in the qualifier round. In contrast, two other teams will be grouped alongside them from Pot 3 and Pot 4, meaning they will have an inferior ranking than India.
In short, India’s outstanding performance have not only earned them three titles but has also secured them a favourable position in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers and also in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
Being in Pot 2 gives them an advantage by reducing the number of higher-ranked teams they will face, increasing their chances of securing a spot in these prestigious tournaments.
Draw Pots for 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup
Pot 1: Japan, Iran, Australia, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
Pot 2: Uzbekistan, China, Jordan, Bahrain, Syria, Vietnam, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic, and India.
Pot 3: Lebanon, Tajikistan, Thailand, Korea DPR, Philippines, Malaysia, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, and Hong Kong.
Pot 4: Winners of – Afghanistan v Mongolia, Maldives v Bangladesh, Singapore v Guam, Yemen v Sri Lanka, Myanmar v Macau, Cambodia v Pakistan, Chinese Taipei v Timor Leste, Indonesia v Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong v Bhutan, Nepal v Laos
The official draw ceremony for the preliminary qualification rounds 1 and 2 of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will take place on July 27, 2023. The draw will be held at 01:30 PM IST at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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