"We will surely miss Sandesh paji" - Fans react as AIFF announces Indian squad to face Afghanistan in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
The All India Football Federation announced the 25-man Indian squad which will be facing Afghanistan in Round 2 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
It is evident that the first batch of the Indian team has already reached Abha, Saudi Arabia, where the match is slated to take place on Thursday (March 21). Meanwhile, the second batch of the players, who took part in FC Goa- Bengaluru FC match on Thursday, will depart on Friday and reach Abha by Saturday evening.
Here is the tweet posted by the official account of Indian Football Team on X:
Below are some fan reactions after the squad announcement on X:
"Looks like Rahul Bheke and Anwar Ali might start as CB, probably no chance for Jay Gupta. Mishra and Poojary as full backs. We will surely miss Sandesh Paji."
"Only 2 cb's. Should have selected dinpuia."
Here are the other reactions:
Igor Stimac optimistic about India's qualification to Round 3 of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac seemed confident of his men qualifying to Round 3 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Currently, the Indian team is in the third position in the Group A table, consisting of four teams, namely Qatar, Kuwait and Afghanistan. The Blue Tigers began their Round 2 campaign with a 1-0 victory against Kuwait, but lost 0-3 against Qatar.
Here's what Stimac said ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers:
“We are not a club that can work with the players on a daily basis. If you speak about the Asian Cup, it was of course a disappointment, but mostly for those who were not following us regularly. The expectations were high without any base. That’s behind us, and I’m happy that we have more important things to do now. The focus is on getting from the second phase to the third phase of qualifying.”
After the game on March 21, India and Afghanistan will be up against each other on March 26 in Guwahati. Both games will be crucial for the Indian team to keep their hopes alive for qualification to Round 3.