Stimac announces 23-member squad to face Qatar in final battle for FIFA World Cup hopes

Kolkata, June 8
Ahead of the final game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 preliminary joint qualification round 2. India senior men's team head coach Igor Stimac, announced the 23-member squad for the match against Qatar.

The Indian team will travel to Doha from Kolkata on Saturday evening. They will take on the two-time Asian champions Qatar on June 11 at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.

After being held 0-0 by Kuwait on Thursday, India remain in the second spot with five points with a goal difference of -3. Afghanistan also played out a 0-0 draw with Qatar and maintained third spot with a goal difference of -10.

Kuwait are still bottom of the pile with four points. With Qatar already having booked their spot in the third round, all the other three teams remain in contention for the second and final berth.

India will qualify for the third round if they beat Qatar and maintain their goal-difference advantage over Afghanistan, who will face Kuwait on the same day. A point will also be enough for the Blue Tigers if Afghanistan versus Kuwait also ends in a draw.

However, a defeat in Qatar will end India's hopes of progressing, irrespective of the other result.

If India were to progress to the next round, India will be making their first ever appearance in the third round of the qualifiers which would be historic for Indian football.

India's 23-member squad for the FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Qatar:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Narender, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke.

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Edmund Lalrindika, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nandha kumar Sekar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam.

Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Vikram Partap Singh, David Lalhlansanga.