Watch India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Live Free TV and Online Streaming Guide”
On Tuesday, India and Qatar will play a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier at Bhubaneshwar’s Kalinga Stadium.
The Blue Tigers defeated Kuwait 1-0 on the road to begin their second round of World Cup qualifying, with Manvir Singh scoring the game’s lone goal.
Qatar defeated Afghanistan 7-1 to get off to a commanding start in the second round of qualifying.
Although both Qatar and India have three points apiece, the latter leads the former in terms of goal differential.
Here is a look at how the Blue Tigers and the defending Asian champion might lineup as they get ready to play.
The Indian national team will play their second group match of the second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Qatar on Tuesday in front of a sold-out Kalinga Stadium. Qatar is the reigning Asian champions.
India’s 1-0 victory away to Kuwait, where their defensive prowess was on display to provide Igor Stimac with the ideal start to the qualifying campaign, will fill them with confidence.
In their opening group game, India vs Qatar made a bold statement by defeating Afghanistan 8-1 at home, with four goals from their standout striker, Almoez Ali.
Is Stimac twisted or sticks?
In the victory over Kuwait, India’s Croatian head coach made a number of bold decisions. Among them was benching Lallianzuala Chhangte, who later made a crucial impact as a substitute and helped Manvir Singh, who began the game in Chhangte’s original position, score the winning goal.
After missing the previous two national camps, Apuia Ralte returned to the starting lineup and provided a steady presence in midfield with Suresh Wangjam. In addition to providing stability, Rahul Bheke entered the game to partner Sandesh Jhingan at the centre of India’s defence.
Thus, Stimac’s calls were all very effective. Those players haven’t given him any grounds to switch teams once more. Since Bheke was sent off in the 17th minute of the last meeting between these two teams—a game that Qatar won 1-0—he will be especially focused on making amends against Qatar.
Since India won’t likely have a lot of ball possession in this match, it will be important to take advantage of counterattacking opportunities. Manvir’s strength and speed may be one weapon, but the match-winning performance against Kuwait was absent from practice the night before this matchup with Qatar.
Without any fault of his own, Sahal Abdul Samad’s position could also be a source of contention. Sahal might replace Anirudh Thapa in midfield if Stimac decides that a slightly more defensive player is needed to go with Apuia and Suresh. This would be an effort to make things more difficult for the Qataris in the build-up.
The most significant player in India
In the previous World Cup qualifying campaign, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu participated in a game that ended in a 0-0 draw away in Qatar, which turned out to be one of his best ever. Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif, and other attacking players are among the top players in Asia who play for Qatar. They threw everything at Gurpreet that night in Doha, but he repelled it all.
That being said, Gurpreet won’t be working alone on this one. He’ll expect people in front of him to be almost flawless. Jhingan will risk everything for his teammates, Bheke will stand by them, and Akash Mishra and Nikhil Poojary will engage in intense one-on-one combat. However, it is certain that they will create opportunities and have shots on goal when playing a team with the calibre of Qatar. This is another one of those occasions for Gurpreet, a man who usually loves a good occasion.
There is a chance that India vs Qatar will attempt to press the issue a little bit more and possibly create some offensive openings for India if he and his defence can keep that backdoor closed through the opening exchanges and for a sufficient amount of time into the game. Counterattacking is probably the game plan, and it depends on the big no. 1 keeping a clean sheet for as long as he can.
India vs Qatar previously demonstrated in 2023 that they are capable of competing head-to-head with the stronger Asian teams, and their September 2-2 draw with Iraq should instil some confidence in them. However, the beast’s nature becomes even more formidable when the Asian champions visit the city. India are about to seize a fantastic opportunity, but Stimac may not have even imagined winning six of the first six points that were available. Could they seize it?
