Lower on the list In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Guwahati on March 26, Afghanistan stunned India 2-1 as the host team suffered one of its most humiliating losses in recent memory, despite star Sunil Chhetri’s 94th international goal in his 150th appearance.
In his historic performance, Chhetri scored from the spot in the 37th minute of India’s home leg encounter in the second round of the combined qualifications for the World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. This came after Haroon Amiri touched the ball inside the area.
Afghanistan counterattacked, putting three forwards up front, and equalized in the 71st minute when Rahmat Akbari struck from beyond the box and the ball deflected and went through Rahul Bheke’s knees to make it 1-1.
With just two minutes remaining in normal time, disaster struck for the Indians when a charging Gurpreet Singh was given a yellow card. Sharif Mukhammad scored the ensuing penalty (88′) to give his team a 2-1 lead.
To the pleasure of the throng that flocked the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in expectation of a superb performance from their much-loved player, Afghanistan goalkeeper Ovays Azizi correctly predicted that Chhetri, 39, had enough force in his strike to defeat the visiting custodian.
Following a brief period of nonstop end-to-end attacks, Chhetri’s goal put India ahead at the half. They managed to hold onto their lead until Rahmat Akbari tied the score in the 71st minute, and then Mukhammad’s goal ended Indian hopes as the visitors took home three points.
Liston Colaco nearly doubled India’s advantage well before then. However, the Afghans were able to get the ball back from him since he was unable to handle it. Manvir Singh had a simple opportunity to put India ahead early in the game, but his effort off the rebound after a Chhetri shot rattled the woodwork went past the net.
Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, and Chhetri were replaced by Anirudh Thapa, Naorem Mahesh, and Lallianzuala Chhangte in the three substitutes made by India coach Igor Stimac.
However, the visitors discovered the equalizer, and these adjustments had little effect in maintaining India’s supremacy. India was in for a worse surprise when the foreigners managed to crush another Indian heart by putting one past a helpless Sandhu.
India and Afghanistan drew their first-leg match 0-0 on March 22 at Abha, Saudi Arabia. A national association football team competes in a series of tough games known as the FIFA World Cup qualifying in an effort to earn a spot in the men’s FIFA World Cup final event.
Six FIFA continental zones—AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe)—are home to qualifying competitions. Each zone is run by its own confederation. FIFA determines, in light of the numbers and relative strengths of the confederations’ teams, how many spots in the finals are allotted to each zone for each World Cup.
In the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, India lost to Afghanistan 1-2 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Assam, on Tuesday. The defeat against a subpar Afghanistan had a big impact on the standings and India’s prospects of making it to the third round of the Asian qualifying tournament for the next World Cup of FIFA.
The FIFA World Cup will include 48 teams instead of 32 in its next edition, making it the biggest event ever. Confederations will be able to field a larger team in the major international event as a result of the lengthier competition and more matches.
Naturally, that opens up spots in the World Cup for comparatively weaker countries in Asia. After losing to Afghanistan 2-1, how can India go to the third round? After hosting Kuwait on June 6, India will travel to Qatar for their final encounter in the second round of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying.
Because of their greater goal difference (GD) against Afghanistan, the Blue Tigers are presently ranked second in the standings. India must prevail in both of its next games.
