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Courtesy a blistering run since the turn of the year, the Indian men's national team secured the 99th spot in the latest FIFA Rankings on Thursday, July 20. More importantly, the Blue Tigers managed to maintain their 18th spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). What does that mean for India?
Well, thanks to their position in the continental charts, Igor Stimac and Co. are now confirmed to be in Pot 2 in Round 2 of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers. The top nine teams in the AFC are drafted in Pot 1, while the nations ranked between 10 to 18 find themselves in Pot 2. The third Pot belongs to teams from 19 to 27 while the bottom 18 AFC nation feature in Round 1, with nine of the winners making their way into Pot 4 for the Round 2 draws.
Having finished in Pot 2, India are expected to have a slightly favorable draw as they will be able to avoid eight of the other higher-ranked teams, which includes Uzbekistan, China, and Jordan, in the same pot. It was crucial for the Blue Tigers to make that climb into Pot 2 as otherwise they would be grouped alongside two teams who would be superior to them rank-wise.
Meanwhile, Sunil Chhetri and Co. have shown a dramatic resurrection under head coach Stimac, winning three tournaments on the trot. After breezing past Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan on their way to the Hero Tri-Nation Cup title, India beat a resilient Lebanon outfit in the Intercontinental Cup final.
The SAFF Championship challenge that followed soon after was a sterner test, but India managed to negate the threats from Lebanon and Kuwait in the semi-final and final, respectively, thanks to Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's heroics.
Official Pots for World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers Round 2
Pot 1: Japan, Iran, Australia, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
Pot 2: Uzbekistan, China, Jordan, Bahrain, Syria, Vietnam, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic, and India.
Pot 3: Lebanon, Tajikistan, Thailand, Korea DPR, Philippines, Malaysia, Kuwait, Turkmenistan, and Hong Kong.
Pot 4: Nine winners of Round 1 ties
When will the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier draw take place?
The draw for the first and second rounds of joint qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place on July 27, 2023.
