Qualification scenario: Despite losing to Qatar, can India still qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will see the highest number of teams in the history of the tournament as Asia was allocated double the number of slots than the previous edition. India are currently placed in Group A of round two of World Cup qualifiers and fighting for the top two spots to qualify for the next round.

Hyderabad: India football team dished out a gritty performance but suffered a 0-3 loss against the Asian Champions Qatar in the second league match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup second-round qualifiers at Kalinga Stadium in Odisha on Tuesday.

Qatar dominated the game throughout the 90 minutes and would have won by a bigger margin but missed out on several opportunities. The visiting side scored through Moustafa Tarek Mashal (4th minute), Almeoz Ali (47th) and Yusuf Adurisag (86th). This loss has given a little damage to Sunil Chhetri's hopes for qualification but India can still feature in the World Cup as the Qualifiers are a long way to be finished at the moment.

As it stands:

Qatar are placed first after the win against India and 8-1 against Afghanistan while Kuwait are placed second after their dominant 4-1 victory over Afghanistan in Group A. India slipped down to the third spot after 0-3 dribbling against Qatar in the second match. Notably, India won 1-0 against Kuwait in the first match and occupied third position in the group. Albeit currently, Kuwait (+3) is placed just above India (-2) even due to a better goal difference.

However, India can still secure a second spot in Group A, if the results come in their favour in the remaining matches, which will allow them to join the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers in 2024.

Qualification Format:

Group A consists of all four teams and is playing a double round-robin format from November 2023 to June 2024. Sunil Chhetri & Co. will have to finish in the top two of the group to forge ahead to the third round and guarantee their place in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup:

If India finishes in the top two, they will join the draw for the third round in 2024 and will compete against other group winners and runners-up. The top two teams from each group in the third round will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. But if India doesn't come in the top two, they still have chances, although in a more complex scenario. The third and fourth-placed teams in the third-round groups will enter the fourth round.

Process of selection through the rounds 4 & 5:

In Round 4, the remaining teams from the third round are drawn into two groups of three teams each. The teams will play each other in a one-off game at a neutral venue. The winners from each group will qualify for the World Cup and the runners-up will enter Round 5.

In Round 5, The teams will play two legs on a home-and-away basis with the winner qualifying for the inter-confederation play-off.