FIFA WC 2026 qualifiers: India losses 1-2 to Qatar

The Indian men’s football team was knocked out of the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers after a 2-1 loss to reigning Asian champions Qatar in its final Group A match at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.India finished third in Group A with just one win in six games and were unable to make it to the third round. Kuwait, who won 1-0 against Afghanistan on the final matchday, joined table-toppers Qatar to progress to the next round of the qualifiers.Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, donning the captain’s armband, was called into action early on and had to make a strong save inside two minutes. The Qatar football team continued to make inroads and kept Gurpreet busy in the first 15 minutes.

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Qatar’s biggest opening came through Khaled Gouda, who slipped in behind Gupta to set up Ahmed Al-Rawi for a finish from close range. But Mehtab Singh, one of the five changes to the starting XI, made a stunning block on the goalline to save India’s blushes. It wouldn’t be the only time Mehtab would deny Al-Rawi. Early in the second half, from another cut-back, the Indian centre-back executed another crucial block.