The Sunil Chhetri-led Indian football team is all geared up to square off against Afghanistan in a FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 fixture at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday (March 26).
A win will push India closer to qualification for Round 3 of the competition.
The Blue Tigers are coming into this contest on the back of a disappointing goalless draw against the same opposition on March 21 at the Damac Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia.
While a win would have made India's chances of moving into the third round much stronger, the draw also helped the team to move past Kuwait on the points table. India are second on the table behind Qatar who are to concede a game in the Qualifiers.
Qatar have a total of nine points whereas India have accumulated four points after a win, a defeat and a draw. Kuwait are third and Afghanistan are fourth on the ladder.
India's head coach Igor Stimac expects a capacity crowd for the game after witnessing the interest of the fans in India's training session in the lead-up to the game. He also expressed disappointment over India's draw against Afghanistan and mentioned that another draw would mean a loss for the side.
"It's really nice to feel the atmosphere and the buzz here," said Stimac at the pre-match press conference.
"We were disappointed with the end result in the first game against Afghanistan. We need to make things right here. I hope there will be a good crowd here in Assam tomorrow."
"We remember how well we played against Oman here the last time we were here, but that was a long time ago. We are positive and looking forward to tomorrow's game where we'll try to do our best. A draw is the same as a loss for us. We need to make things easier for the June game against Kuwait," he added.
India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup Qualifier match live streaming and broadcast
Where to watch the live streaming of India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup Qualifier match?
The India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup Qualifier match will be streamed live on JioCinema.
Where to watch the India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup Qualifier match on TV?
The India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup Qualifier match will be telecast live on the Sports18 1, Sports18 1 HD and Sports18 3 TV channels.
