A look at how Indian can qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026

New Delhi [India], July 29 : The Indian football team's fate in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round Two of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Qualifiers has been revealed. The Blue Tigers have been handed a tough draw, after being slotted alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and winners of the Round One match between Afghanistan and Mongolia, after the draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday. 
India was placed in Pot 2 of the Qualifiers ahead of the Qualifiers after securing a 99th position in the latest FIFA Rankings. Qatar, ranked 59th in the FIFA Rankings, are the top-ranked team in the group, followed by India and then Kuwait, who sit on the 137th position in the FIFA Standings. One of Afghanistan (ranked 157th) and Mongolia (ranked 183rd) will then make up Group A, with their two-legged clash scheduled to take place in September and October respectively, as per a press release from the Indian Super League (ISL). 
All four teams from Group A, just like the eight other AFC groups, will, later on, compete in a double round-robin format on a home-and-away basis between November 2023 and June 2024.
*How can India make it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup? 
The route is simple but difficult. India need to ensure a minimum top-two finish in Group A, with the nine group winners and the respective runners-up progressing to the third round of the World Cup qualifiers. By doing so, India will also confirm their place in the 2027 edition of the AFC Asian Cup. 
The draw for the third round of the global event will take place in 2024 with all 18 teams - the nine group winners and the respective runners-up - to be slotted into three groups of six teams. The top two teams within these three groups in the third round will seal their place in the showpiece event. 
During the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers, India finished third in their group, with group toppers Qatar and second-placed Oman advancing to the third round. 
*What if India doesn't finish among the top two group toppers in round three? 
Things will get even more challenging for the Indian football team, in case they do not finish among the top two sides in round three. The third and fourth-placed teams among the three groups in the third round will have to battle it out in the fourth round. 
The fourth round will consist of six teams divided into two groups each. The winner of the two groups will join the other six AFC sides that qualified from the third round at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 
Finishing the bottom of the group in round four will ensure the end of the road for India. However, if they do finish second in their Group, they will make their way to the Fifth round. These two second-placed teams from the fourth round will then take on each other in a two-legged clash for a place in the Inter-confederation playoffs.
The winner of the fifth round will join the respective winners from the CAF (Africa), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania) and two teams from the CONCACAF region (North America, Central America and the Caribbean). The four lowest-ranked FIFA teams will face each other in two knockout matches. The two winners will face the two highest-ranked teams in another set of knockout games. The winners of these two knockout matches will confirm their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In the previous edition of the 2022 World Cup Qualifiers for the AFC Region, Australia and the United Arab Emirates were among the two teams that finished third in the Third Round. The Socceroos later on defeated the Arab side 2-1 to make their way into the inter-confederation playoffs. In the fifth round, Australia beat CONMEBOL side Peru on penalties and joined Costa Rica, the other inter-confederation playoff winner, for a place at the showpiece event in Qatar.