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India's head coach Igor Stimac has stated that the Blue Tigers' mission of defeating Kuwait away from home in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian second-round qualifiers has been accomplished.
Speaking at the virtual meeting with the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Technical Committee which was arranged on Saturday, February 10, to review the performance of the Indian men's national football team at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, an elated Stimac said:
"The mission to beat Kuwait in the away game and get three points has been accomplished. Now the two games against Afghanistan and the home match against Kuwait will be extremely crucial."
The meeting also comprised Technical Committee chairperson, Mr. IM Vijayan, Acting Secretary General Mr. M Satyanarayan, Chief Technical Officer Mr. Vincent Subramaniam, Technical Director Mr. Sabir Pasha apart from the committee members Mr. Victor Amalraj, Mr. Climax Lawrence, Mr. Santosh Singh, Ms. Pinky Bompal Magar, and Mr. Shabbir Ali
India, who were placed in Group B alongside higher-ranked teams Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria, lost all three group matches and also failed to score even a single goal in their disastrous 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaign.
In the second-round fixtures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers though, India produced a winning start, beating Kuwait 1-0 away before suffering a 3-0 loss at home against Asian champion Qatar last November.
"I would like to say to the head coach that the results in Qatar are now a matter of the past" - IM Vijayan
The chairperson of the Technical Committee, IM Vijayan opened up by saying that the Asian Cup results are now a matter of the past and the focus should only be on the road ahead.
"I welcome all members to this meeting, and I would like to, first of all, say to the head coach that the results in Qatar are now a matter of the past. Our main focus should be on the matches ahead, in the March and June FIFA windows and that we should get the best possible results from them," he said.
The Acting Secretary General, Satyanarayan went on to add that strengthening the grassroots level is the need of the hour as it can lay a strong foundation for the senior men's national team in the future.
"We've seen the National Team go through highs and lows over the last year, but we can be proud of our players and the effort that they put in every time they take the pitch. However, the area we should concentrate on is the game at the grassroots level, so that our national team becomes stronger in the future," he explained.
The immediate challenge for Igor Stimac's men will be the two upcoming fixtures against Afghanistan next month.
If India, who are currently placed third in Group A with three points from two matches, can produce positive results in both home and away fixtures against Afghanistan, it can certainly give the Blue Tigers some much-needed confidence and momentum heading into the last two fixtures of the Round 2 qualifiers against Kuwait (home) and Qatar (away) in June.
