'We have nothing to lose': India coach Igor Stimac wants to 'go for it' against Qatar in WC 2026 Qualifiers

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India will be up against Qatar in a crucial World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers match on Tuesday (November 21).

The Round 2 qualifiers has seen the Blue Tigers slotted with Qatar, Afghanistan and Kuwait. India have already started off in this qualifiers with a fantastic 1-0 victory over Kuwait, whereas Qatar also kickstarted their campaign with an 8-1 drubbing of Afghanistan.

India are ranked 102 in FIFA rankings, while Qatar are considerably sitting higher at the 61st position. The middle-east country, who hosted the World Cup last year, will be hoping to qualify for the next edition of World Cup in 2026.

Ahead of the match, India coach Igor Stimac says they have nothing to lose against the Asian Champions and will be trying to leave their everything on the pitch on Tuesday.

Nothing to lose for India: Stimac

"No need to talk too much about Qatar. We know their strength and I will say this game we can say that it's a game with nothing to lose for us, but a lot to win. So let's go for it," Stimac said during the pre-match press conference in Bhubaneswar.

The Indian coach also believes forgetting about the Kuwait match is going to be important as they take on a strong opponent in Qatar in their next clash.

We were the only team to take points off Qatar: Stimac

The Blue Tigers managed to get a point against Qatar in the last World Cup qualifiers, and Stimac believes the team has improved considerably in the last four years.

"We progressed a lot and we all know that. In the last meeting in 2019, Qatar didn't drop a point at that time, and we managed to get a point. We were the only team in Asia to do that. Hence the signs of improvement were already there," the Indian coach added.

After an impressive victory over Kuwait in the last match, the Indian coach also believes this match against Qatar won't have any different approach. And he also confirmed that giving 100 percent on both an individual and collective level is going to be their main focus.

"We need to approach no differently than any other game. We can't control the crowd,what we can control our performance on an individual level and as a team. And to give our best tomorrow is the aim," Stimac further said.

On the team selection

Speaking on the team combination, the Indian coach says the selection process at the club level and international level is not the same as it solely depends on the eyes of the coach.

"It's about coaches monitoring players, on how much they are committed, how much hunger they are showing. You think he is playing well for Mohun Bagan, or for Odisha, and he can replace another player. But it doesn't work that way. What eyes of the coach sees in the past few days only works," he added.

Igor Stimac also refused to comment on Brandon Fernandes' availability and said they can only come up with the decision after their final training in the evening.