Kolkata to host India's 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6

On Sunday, March 10, All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey announced that India's 2026 FIFA World Cup second-round Asian qualifiers fixture against Kuwait will be held in Kolkata on June 6.

Indian men's national football team head coach Igor Stimac was very particular about the City of Joy hosting the game and had even requested the AIFF to conduct the match at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium. The Croatian tactician had stated that he wants to harness the immense support for football in Kolkata to 'push us (the Indian team) to victory'.

Can India achieve the historic feat and make it to the third round?

Next up, the Blue Tigers will face Afghanistan in the second-round matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers on March 21 (away) and March 26 (home). While the away clash is set to be played at the Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Sports City Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia, the home game is scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.

The matches against Afghanistan will be crucial in India's bid for qualification to the third round. Although Igor Stimac's men started the campaign with a 1-0 away victory over Kuwait, the second game saw them go down 3-0 against Asian champion Qatar in Bhubaneswar. Currently, they are placed third in Group A with three points from two matches.

The Indian football team will be looking to put the disappointment of the Asian Cup behind them, where they failed to win a single match, and secure a couple of wins against Afghanistan this month. The Blue Tigers will need the momentum for their last two encounters in the qualifiers against Kuwait (June 6) and Qatar (June 11).

It will be interesting to see how Igor Stimac's men fare in their upcoming fixtures.