The Indian football team, led by captain Sunil Chhetri, won the hearts of millions of football fans across the country when they emerged victorious in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship 2023, playing the final match against Kuwait.
The win at the SAFF Championship final gave Indian football fans hope that one day, the Indian team will be able to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest international football tournament, something which has not been possible yet.
The next FIFA World Cup will be in 2026, and here is all you need to know about the criteria needed to be fulfilled by Sunil Chhetri’s Indian football team to qualify for the tournament.
Can Indian football team qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
India is currently at the 99th spot in the FIFA Men’s rankings and in the top 20 of FIFA Men’s rankings of Asian teams, which means that they can skip the first round of Asian qualification for the World Cup 2026.
INDIA’S SAFF CUP WIN HAS SECURED THEIR PLACE IN POT 2 OF ROUND 2 FOR FIFA QUALIFIERS.
Round 2: It’ll consist of 36 teams which will be divided into 9 groups (4 teams each). Top 2 teams from each group will qualify for Round 3
Round 3: 18 teams from top round 2 will be divided into 3 groups of 6 teams each.
TOP 2 TEAMS FROM THESE 3 GROUPS WILL QUALIFY FOR FIFA WORLD CUP 2026!
India has a better chance of winning these rounds if they are paired with teams of inferior rankings, which is only possible if the international rank is boosted above 99 or higher, and their Asian ranking in FIFA is above 18, which can be possible if the team keeps winning international matches this year.
