Football
How India can qualify for the Third Round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Here's a succinct analysis on how India can qualify for the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Indian Football Team (Source: AIFF)
India shared points with Kuwait in what was a poignant final game for the legendary Sunil Chhetri in the national team colors, at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata. This match was part of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and Asian Cup combined qualifiers.
Despite this draw, India still has a chance to advance to the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time in their history. Here's how it can happen.
India currently sits in the second position on the points table. As Afghanistan held Qatar to a draw, the qualification scenarios for India is as follows
Group A standings
| Team | Matches | W | L | D | GD | Points |
| Qatar | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 12 |
| India | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 5 |
| Afghanistan | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -10 | 5 |
| Kuwait | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
Scenarios for India's Qualification:
1. India Wins Against Qatar:
-Points Accumulation: India will end up with eight points.
- Outcome Dependence: Afghanistan should lose or draw against Kuwait for India to go through.
2. India Draws Against Qatar:
- Points Accumulation: India will finish with six points.
- Outcome Dependence: If Afghanistan draw against Kuwait, they'll be eliminated on goal difference but if they win, India will be knocked out.
Influence of Kuwait: If India shared points with Qatar and Kuwait wins against Afghanistan, India will be knocked out.
These scenarios illustrate the different pathways for India to make history by qualifying for the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
With the crucial match between Qatar and Afghanistan pending for later tonight, Indian fans are eagerly awaiting the results that could see their team reach new heights in international football.
