India's FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying Scenario as Blue Tigers Host Kuwait in Kolkata

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The Indian national football team is on the cusp of a historic achievement as they prepare to face Kuwait in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers on June 6. Depending on the three possible ways the match can go, India's fate awaits them.

The Blue Tigers are currently sitting in second place in their group with four points from four matches. They are below Qatar who are leading the group with 12 points. Afghanistan are in third place with the same points as India but have an inferior goal difference than them.

Kuwait are sitting at the bottom of the table with three points. However, that does not indicate their strength. They are a formidable team and getting away with a win against them will not come easy. Even so, the Blue Tigers will have to secure a win to keep their hopes alive.

A win against Kuwait will see India consolidate their position as the second-placed team in the group with seven points. In that case, there is almost no chance that their position will change even if they don't win against Qatar on June 11.

If they secure a draw, they could fall down to third place if Afghanistan win against Qatar. The chances of that happening is very little but it's worth remembering that Afghanistan will play Kuwait next while India will face Qatar.

Hence, both Afghanistan and Kuwait will then have a better chance to seize the opportunity with just one win in the match they face each other. The same scenario will happen if India lose the match.

However, in that case, India will fall instantly down to third place and will need to secure an absolute win in their next match against Qatar.

As the moral of the story, a win will see the Blue Tigers make history as they will be propelled into the World Cup qualifiers third round. However, a loss or draw would severely dent their chances of advancing to the next stage.