India coach Igor Stimac makes bold prediction ahead of FIFA World Cup qualifier against Afghanistan – Firstpost
India head coach Igor Stimac recently spoke about his team’s chances of reaching the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Indian head coach Igor Stimac is confident that the Blue Tigers will qualify for the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time. Stimac recently compiled a list of 35 probables for the two-legged ties against Afghanistan in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup preliminary joint qualifiers. Indian football team is currently ranked second in Group A of the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In their next match, the Blue Tigers will face Afghanistan in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers on March 22. Before the Afghanistan match, Stimac was asked how confident he was in his ability to guide the team to the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. .
“I look into your eyes and tell you that we will qualify for the third round of the World Cup,” Stimac said during an interaction with RevSportz. “In May, the ISL will be completed. There will be no football here at club level. I’m going to get my players back for a long camp. And I know that at the end of camp, they will be flying. The four-week camp is exactly what we need ahead of the all-important match against Kuwait in Kolkata.
“And I can assure you that nothing will stop us. Every time we have had a long camp, the results are there for everyone to see. We played excellent football with all my players in great shape. Last year we won the three tournaments in a row where we (India) looked fitter and better every time we came out. That’s what a long camp, together, can do. June will be no different before the matches against Kuwait and Qatar,” added the Croatian.
India kicked off their second round of World Cup qualifying with an away win over Kuwait in November last year. Manvir Singh had scored the only goal of this match. India, however, conceded a defeat in their next qualifying match against Qatar. Stimac’s men suffered a 0-3 defeat against the Asian giants in Bhubaneswar.
World Cup Qualifiers:
India’s campaign so far and what it needs to do against Afghanistan
India’s second matches and those against Afghanistan will take place on March 22 and 26. After the two matches against Afghanistan, India will face Kuwait in a home match scheduled for June 6.
The top two teams will be eligible to advance to the third round of World Cup qualifying and reach the 2027 Asian Cup. The teams ranked third and fourth will advance to the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers.
