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Sunil Chhetri's swansong fell short of its promise, not due to a lack of atmosphere or euphoria, but because the players failed to rise to the occasion against Kuwait on Thursday, June 6. Now, the Indian men's national team faces a daunting challenge: without their evergreen talisman, they must pull off an unlikely victory over Qatar to advance to the third round of World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.
A victory against Kuwait would've realistically cemented their spot in the next stages, but the Blue Tigers could only manage a 0-0 stalemate and have opened the gate to innumerable permutations and combinations. When they face the Asian champions in their backyard at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, India will most likely need three points. The Blue Tigers will be eliminated directly if they lose to Qatar and will have to rely on a draw between Kuwait and Afghanistan if they can hold the Asian champions to a draw.
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However, India's performances in the recent past haven't ignited enough belief in their quality. The underwhelming results against Afghanistan highlighted their inability to capitalize on fixtures that they walked into as favorites. Goal-scoring has been the team's biggest headache, which is likely to worsen in the absence of Chhetri.
Having already secured qualification for the next round, the hosts have opted for a second-string squad, which could benefit the Blue Tigers.
Qatar vs India: Match details for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers clash
Match: Qatar vs India, FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier second round, Group A
Venue: Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
Date: Tuesday, June 11, at 9:15pm IST.
Qatar vs India: Predicted lineups for the FIFA World Cup Qualifier clash
India XI: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK) (C), Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Manvir Singh.
Qatar XI: Saad Al Sheeb (GK); Abdalla Yousif, Mohammed Aiash, Yousef Marel; Tahsin Jamshed, Moustafa Tarek, Abdullah Al-Ahrak, Hazem Shehata; Abdulla Alyazidi, Yousuf Abdurisag, Ahmed Al-Rawi.
Qatar vs India: Telecast and live stream details for the FIFA World Cup Qualifier clash
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier clash between Qatar and India will be streamed live on FanCode from 9:15pm IST on Tuesday. There will be no telecast of the fixture.
