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India squared off against Kuwait in their opening encounter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second round on Thursday, November 16. The much-awaited clash took place at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Al-Ardiya, Kuwait.
FIFA World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar are placed atop the Group A points table, having defeated Afghanistan 8-1 earlier in the day. They have three points and a goal difference of seven.
Riding on the back of a 1-0 victory over hosts Kuwait, the Indian football team moves to the second place in the points table. They have three points from one game with a goal difference of one.
Meanwhile, Kuwait and Afghanistan are placed third and fourth respectively in the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second round Group A standings with zero points each.
Kuwait have a goal difference of -2, while Afghanistan have a goal difference of -7. Both teams are yet to open their account in the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second round and will look to bag a victory in their upcoming contests.
India beat hosts Kuwait 1-0, Qatar thrash Afghanistan 8-1 in the opening encounter
Qatar thrashed Afghanistan in a Group A contest of the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second round. Hassan Al-Haydos scored the first goal in the 11th minute to hand Qatar a 1-0 lead in the game.
Amiruddin Mohammad Anwar Sharifi found the back of the net in the 13th minute to level the scores. However, Afghanistan were no more in the game, conceding five more goals in the first half.
Almoez Ali scored a double brace, while Moustafa Tarek Mashal got his name on the scoresheet in the first half. The score read 6-1 in favor of Qatar at half-time. Ahmed Alaaeldin converted a penalty in the 53rd minute, while Tameem Al-Abdullah found the back of the net in stoppage time to win the match 8-1.
Meanwhile, India took on hosts Kuwait in another Group A match. The scores remained 0-0 at half-time with both teams going neck to neck in the contest. Manvir Singh was the star of the day as he scored in the 75th minute to hand India a lead. He converted an assist from Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Courtesy of the goal, India have started their campaign on a positive note and will look to move upwards from here on.
