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After underwhelming campaigns in the King's Cup and the Merdeka Cup, the Indian men's national team will return to action in the all-important opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Second Round against hosts Kuwait at the Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium on Thursday.
The Blue Tigers had a brilliant start to 2023, winning three tournaments on the trot. However, since winning the SAFF Championship, Igor Stimac and his men failed to secure a single victory. Despite holding Iraq to a 2-2 draw in regulation time, India lost out on penalties in the semi-finals of the King's Cup. Their fate in the third-place playoff wasn't any better as they slumped to another narrow defeat versus Lebanon.
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The Merdeka Cup too didn't offer any better fate as they lost against Malaysia in a high-scoring game and were knocked out of the tournament. But Stimac will be eager to put the past records behind them and focus on their 10th attempt to reach the global footballing gala. India and Kuwait are two of the four teams in Group A, which also includes Qatar and Afghanistan.
The sides met previously in the SAFF Championship 2023, where both matches were tightly contested affairs. The group-stage encounter ended in a 1-1 draw and the final too had a similar fate. However, Sunil Chhetri and company managed to edge out the Blue Wave on penalties and lift the prestigious title.
"This match has nothing to do with the games we played two months ago because a lot of things have changed since then. The players had a long rest and started the season with their clubs. India and Kuwait are not the same sides; we both have had a few injured players. But that's normal in football. Teams change from month to month," Stimac averred in the pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile, Kuwait, who are ranked 136th in the world, have strung together ample resilient performances after their previous loss against India. The Blue Wave secured two wins but also suffered two losses.
India vs Kuwait: Details for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers match
Match: Kuwait vs India, FIFA World Cup 2026 Second Round.
Time: 10:00 pm IST on Thursday, November 16.
Venue: Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait.
India vs Kuwait: Predicted lineups for the match
India XI: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Nikhil Poojary, Sandesh Jhingan, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Apuia, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sunil Chhetri.
Kuwait XI: Abdulrahman Kameel, Al-Hajeri, Al-Harbi, Al-Anzi, Meshari Al-Enezi, Sultan Al-Enezi, Al-Dhefiri, Tareq Ali, Al-Rasheedi, Al-Khaldi, Daham.
India vs Kuwait: Head-to-head records
India and Kuwait have squared off five times over the years and both share a similar record. Both the Blue Tigers and the Blue Wave have won two games while the other ended in a draw.
Matches played: 5
India wins: 2
Kuwait wins: 2
Draw: 1
