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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced a 25-member Indian Men's Football Team squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers second-round fixtures against Afghanistan. The away match will be played on March 21 at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia, and the home game is set to be contested on March 26 at Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.
India began their campaign with a 1-0 away victory over Kuwait at the Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City last November. Manvir Singh's 75th-minute strike helped them with a winning start and secure three crucial points. Five days later, they were beaten 3-0 by Asian champions Qatar at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The Indian Men's Football Team squad for the matches against Afghanistan:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh, Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Subhasish Bose, Anwar Ali, Amey Ranawade, Jay Gupta.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Imran Khan.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Vikram Partap Singh.
Can India bounce back from their disappointing 2023 AFC Asian Cup show?
Igor Stimac's men had a forgettable start to this year, given their poor performance at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup where they neither scored a goal nor bagged a solitary point. They lost all three group matches against higher-ranked sides — Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria.
They need to put aside those setbacks and come back stronger with a positive frame of mind against Afghanistan to have any chance of reviving their fortunes by securing the maximum possible points from the two matches. With three points already in the bag, the Blue Tigers are in a good position to create history by qualifying for the third round of FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers, a feat which they have never achieved. While India is currently placed 117th in the latest FIFA Men's World ranking, Afghanistan is at the 158th position.
