Indian Football team secures Pot 2 spot in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers draw

The Indian Men's Football Team has officially climbed to the 99th spot in the latest FIFA rankings, edging out one position from their previous 100th rank.

This leap in rankings has also secured them a spot in Pot 2 for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The jump to 99th in the world rankings marks a milestone for Indian football, highlighting the progress made in recent years.

The team's performances in various international competitions and tournaments like SAFF Championship, and Hero Intercontinental Cup have influenced this sudden jump.

Securing a spot in Pot 2 for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers brings immense advantages to India's campaign.

The first draw for the AFC Zone will take place on 27 July, with FIFA rankings as on 20 July being considered.

Teams will be seeded into four pots based on their rank. India will enter the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers from the second round in November 2023.

In this round, there will be nine four-team groups, with the four teams drawn from the four pots. Two teams each will progress to the third round from each group.

Now they will have to face only one of the Pot 1 teams - Japan, Iran, Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Oman - in the second round.

All Pot 2 teams - Uzbekistan, China, Jordan, Bahrain, Syria, Vietnam, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan - would be successfully avoided.

This potentially increases their chances of securing a favorable group and advancing to the later stages of the qualifiers.