India announced a list of 35 probables for the home and away matches against Afghanistan in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary joint qualifier on Thursday. (More Football News)
The Blue Tigers will take on Afghanistan on March 21, 2024, in Abha Saudi Arabia in the first leg of their Group A fixture. The home match in Guwahati is scheduled for March 26, 2024.
India, seeded 18th, started the campaign with a 1-0 win, courtesy of Manvir Singh's 74th-minute strike, away in Kuwait. But Igor Stimac's men suffered a 0-3 defeat against Asian champions Qatar in Bhubaneswar.
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Two top teams will progress to the World Cup qualifying third round and qualify for the Asian Cup. The third and fourth-placed teams will advance to the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers. India's qualifying campaign will end in June, with return fixtures against Kuwait (June 6 in Hyderabad) and Qatar (June 11 in Kuwait City)
India's list of probables for Afghanistan matches:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Phurba Tempa Lachenpa, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Chandrashekhar Poojary, Subhasish Bose, Narender, Anwar Ali, Roshan Naorem, Amey Ganesh Ranawade, Jay Gupta.
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Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Naorem, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Wangjam, Jeakson Thounaojam, Deepak Tangri, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Lalengmawia Ralte, Imran Khan.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Vikram Partap Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Nandhakumar Sekar, Isak Vanlalruatfela.
