India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers football match date, time, live streaming telecast

India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers football match date, time, live streaming telecast

The India men’s football team is all set to face off vs Afghanistan as part of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, check out all the details below regarding the football match’s date and time

India will face Afghanistan as part of their third Group A second round match after previously beating Kuwait by 1-0.

India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers football match date, time, live streaming telecast where to watch

In the upcoming match, fans will be on the lookout for top Indian players like Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Imran Khan, and Jay Gupta.

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India FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign

India has so far had a mixed campaign, starting with a loss against Qatar followed by a win against Kuwait. The Blue Tigers are a part of Group A and have three points in hand. Heading into the match against Afghanistan, India will face a familiar face in the form of Ashley Westwood, who has had a long association with Indian football. Westwood is currently the coach of the Afghan national football team.

The upcoming match will be crucial for India to qualify, as they need to finish in the top 2 in the group rankings to move onto the next round of qualifiers. India will next face Qatar in June, following their upcoming encounter with Afghanistan.

2026 FIFA World Cup format

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a 48-team competition format with more slots from Asia this time. As such, the Blue Tigers have a better chance to qualify for the upcoming edition. Teams in the AFC will have eight direct qualifying slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers India vs Afghanistan date and start time

The upcoming match will start off at 10 PM local time, which correlates to 12:30 AM IST on Friday, March 22. The two teams will then face off again on March 26, in the reverse fixture, where India will serve as hosts. Following the upcoming match, the Blue Tigers will then travel to Al Kohr to face Qatar in June after their home fixture against Kuwait.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers venue

The Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia, will serve as the venue for the upcoming match.

India vs Afghanistan how to watch live

Football fans across India can watch all the live action on the FanCode mobile app and website. The FanCode Android, iOS, and TV app is available on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Jio STB, Samsung TV, Airtel XStream, and OTT Play.

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