Road to Glory – India Takes on Afghanistan to Book a Place For The Next Round at World Cup Qualifier

On March 21, 2024, at Abha, Saudi Arabia, the Blue Tigers are scheduled to play Afghanistan in their third group stage match of the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification. (22 March, 12.30 IST). India is in the same group as Qatar, who leads with six points, Kuwait, which is tied for second place with three points, and Afghanistan, which is in fourth place after winning none of its first two games.

Indian Team News:

The hamstring injury that Sahal Abdul Samad sustained during training will prevent him from playing for India. Star center defender Sandesh Jinghan is also out due to injury. Anwar Ali and Jeakson Singh will be returning to the team and will probably play in the starting 11.

Afghanistan Team News:

The majority of Afghanistan's first-team players are not playing because they support the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), alleging that the sports organization engages in corruption, including match-fixing. Only eight players from the Afghanistan team that faced Magnolia in the first round of qualifying remain available for selection, while eight players boycotted the qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar.

What to expect from Team India:

Afghanistan's players have eased India's burden by refusing to play for their country, citing mistreatment by the national federation. Manager Ashley Westwood has apparently only been able to recall seven players from the full strength squad that defeated Mongolia in the first qualifying round. Instead, Westwood has had to make do with bringing up a variety of players who are playing in smaller leagues overseas. Those teams lost to Kuwait 0–4 and Qatar 1–8 in November of last year, but given his familiarity with Indian football, former Bengaluru FC manager Westwood should have done his research.
However, the assumption is that India will prevail, and Igor Stimac's team should do well despite a logistically challenging arrival in Abha to acclimate to the high-altitude circumstances.