The India national football team will host Asian champions Qatar in their second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers second round campaign at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The Group A IND vs QAT match will start at 7:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Tuesday, November 21.
Under head coach Igor Stimac, India started their FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifying campaign with an impressive 1-0 win over hosts Kuwait at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium on Thursday, November 16.
Star forward Manvir Singh scored the match-winning goal in the 75th minute to help India register their first win in the FIFA World Cup qualifier overseas in 22 years.
With three valuable points on the board, the Blue Tigers are currently placed second in the Group A standings.
On the other hand, Qatar will head into the game brimming with confidence after thrashing Afghanistan 8-1 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC Qualifiers opener at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Currently ranked 61st in the FIFA rankings, Qatar rode on four goals from striker Almoez Ali and strikes from Hassan Al-Haydos, Mostafa Tarek Meshaal, Ahmed Alaaeldin and Tameem Al-Abdullah to secure a dominant victory over Afghanistan.
Having netted eight goals, Qatar are placed on top of the Group A standings with three points and a better goal difference than India.
The top two teams from the group will qualify for the third qualifying round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to be held in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States. They will also earn a direct entry in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 to be held in Saudi Arabia.
India’s national football team squad vs Qatar
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Glan Martins, Apuia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nandhakumar Sekar, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul KP, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh
India vs Qatar football head-to-head
Qatar have a good head-to-head record against India in international football. The reigning AFC Asian Cup champions have registered two wins and one draw in the three matches that they have played against India so far.
The last time these two sides met, Qatar pipped India 1-0 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha in June 2021.
Where to watch India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers live in India?
Live streaming of the India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers second round match will be available on the JioCinema app and website.
Live telecast of the India vs Qatar FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers second round match will be available on Sports18 1, Sports18 1 HD and Sports18 3 TV channels in India.
Photo credit: Alamy
