Akash Mishra to miss India's World Cup Qualifiers matches due to ACL injury - Reports
The Indian national football team has suffered a major setback as left-back Akash Mishra is reportedly set to miss the important FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar due to an ACL injury. Notably, he wasn’t part of the Mumbai City’s ISL final clash against Mohun Bagan.
As per the report in Khel Now, an anonymous source stated:
“Akash Mishra has sustained an ACL injury requiring surgery, which is likely to sideline him for the remainder of 2024.”
The Indian defender hailing from Uttar Pradesh has played a crucial role for the Indian national team and his club Mumbai City FC. He made 26 appearances for Mumbai City in the ISL 2023-24 and AFC Champions League and furthermore, represented Team India on 15 instances.
Igor Stimac may be considering replacements for Akash Mishra
Indian senior men’s team head coach Igor Stimac may be considering Subhasish Bose or Jay Gupta as like-for-like replacements in the absence of Akash Mishra. Additionally, Mumbai City are likely to explore the transfer market for a temporary replacement for the 2024-25 season.
Interestingly, Indian senior men’s team head coach Igor Stimac, on Tuesday, announced his second list of 15 probables for the Bhubaneswar camp ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 matches against Kuwait and Qatar. The first list of probables was announced on Saturday.
Akash Mishra was part of the list announced by Igor Stimac on Tuesday. However, since it usually takes six to nine months to recover from a torn ACL, Akash will have to miss the camp and eventually the Qualifiers.
Importantly, a total of 41 players will be a part of the national campaign, starting on Friday, May 10. India are currently ranked second in Group A in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers as the top two teams at the end of the group stage will qualify for Round 3 and secure their place at the AFC Asian Cup 2027.
The Blue Tigers, led by Sunil Chhetri, will lock horns with Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6 before traveling to compete against Qatar on June 11.