FIFA World Cup 2026 will be the biggest tournament in the history of the championship considering their recent decision for the expansion of 32 to 48 participating nations. The increase in the number of teams has given the Indian football team a golden opportunity to participate in the ultimate championship for the first time.
If India will have to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026, then they will have to finish in the top two positions of the second and third qualifier round. If India qualifies for the second round but fails through the third round then they will have to be the group winner in the fourth round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifications.
If India fails to qualify even in the fourth round then they will have to win in the fifth round to qualify for the inter-confederation play-off and win the game to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
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Following are the slots allocated to each continent for the FIFA World Cup 2026:
- Europe – UEFA – 16
- Africa – CAF – 9 and one-third
- Asia – AFC – 8 and one-third
- Oceania – OFC – 1 and one-third
- North and Central America – CONCACAF – 6 (3 hosts) and two-third
- South America – CONMEBOL – 6 and one-third
Group A Points Table of second round after Game 1:
| Position | Teams | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Points |
| 1 | Qatar | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| 2 | India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Kuwait | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | -7 | 0 |
