The Blue Tigers are currently occupying third spot in Group A, having collected three points from two games, level on points with second-placed Kuwait and three adrift of the leaders Qatar.
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India will be looking to keep themselves in contention to reach the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification, when they take on Afghanistan in a Group A fixture at Damac Stadium in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The Blue Tigers are currently occupying third spot in the table, having collected three points from two games, level on points with second-placed Kuwait and three adrift of the leaders Qatar. The Lions of Khorasan, meanwhile, are languishing at the bottom of the four-team table, yet to open their account after two rounds of matches.
𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍 💙🇮🇳
The #BlueTigers are up against Afghanistan in a crucial encounter at the Damac Stadium! 👊🏻🏟️
Watch #AFGIND LIVE only on @FanCode and @ddsportschannel 📺#FIFAWorldCupQualifiers 🏆 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/LoqCieycpy
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 21, 2024
India kicked off the second round of World Cup qualification on a positive note, getting the better of Kuwait at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in November last year. Manvir Singh’s lone goal 15 minutes from time helped the Blue Tigers secure all three points away from home. However, couple of days later Igor Stimac’s men were thrashed 3-0 by Qatar in their second round fixture at Kalinga Stadium. Blue Tigers then went into the AFC Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar, where they lost all three of their group fixtures to be dumped out of the tournament. Suffering four straight defeats across all competitions for the first time in six years, India are on a mission to bounce back in the World Cup qualifiers and the upcoming double-header against Afghanistan is the ideal opportunity to get their Group A ambitions back on track.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, suffered a humiliating 8-1 defeat to Qatar in their first Group A fixture on November 16, before losing 4-0 against Kuwait five days later. The Lions of Khorasan have won only two of their last 13 outings in all competitions, with both those wins coming against minnows Mongolia in October 2023 during the first round of World Cup qualification. Former Bengaluru FC and Punjab FC boss Ashley Westwod took charge of the Afghan side in November, and will be looking to use his expertise in the Indian football to register an upset in Saudi Arabia.
Afghanistan probable starting lineup: Azizi, Nzary, Hanifi, Askar, Asekzai, Skandari, Popalzay, Azadzoy, Sharifi, Arezou
India probable starting lineup: Sandhu, Poojary, Anwar Ali, Bheke, Mishra, Jeakson, Suresh, Mahesh, Manvir, Chhetri, Chhangte
Afghanistan
| Opponents | Score |
| Kuwait | 0-4 (L) |
| Qatar | 8-1 (L) |
| Mongolia | 0-1 (W) |
| Mongolia | 1-0 (W) |
| Philippines | 2-1 (L) |
India
| Opponents | Score |
| Syria | 1-0 (L) |
| Uzbekistan | 0-3 (L) |
| Australia | 2-0 (L) |
| Qatar | 0-3 (L) |
| Kuwait | 0-1 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| India beat Afghanistan | 1-2 |
| India draw Afghanistan | 1-1 |
| Afghanistan draw India | 1-1 |
| India beat Afghanistan | 2-1 |
| Afghanistan beat India | 2-0 |
The FIFA World Cup 2025 qualifier between Afghanistan and India will take place at Damac Stadium on Friday at 12:30 am IST.
| Afghanistan vs India | Key Details |
| Date | March 21 (Saudi Arabia) |
| Venue | Damac Stadium, Saudi Arabia |
| Kickoff time in Saudi Arabia | 10:00 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in Afghanistan | 11:30 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 am (Friday) |
Football fans in India can catch the live action via FanCode.
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