The Indian men’s football team will start its second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers in a group A clash against Kuwait on Thursday at the Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium.

The other teams in Group A are Qatar and Afghanistan. 

How does the qualification process work?

The second round of the 2026 World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers features 36 teams divided into nine groups of four. Teams in each group will play each other in a home-away round-robin format.

The top teams from the group will qualify for the third round of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and earn a direct entry in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia. 

ALSO READ: Wenger to inaugurate AIFF-FIFA academy in Bhubaneswar

The Sunil Chhetri led-India is the second-best ranked team (102) in Group A, behind Qatar (61). The Blue Tigers will play Qatar in a home match at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on November 21 and will travel to Qatar for its away match on June 11. 

It will play both of its matches against Afghanistan in March 2024.

India vs Kuwait kick-off, telecast and live streaming info