Introduction
India National Football Team VS Afghanistan National Football Team Standings: In the FIFA rankings released back in June, the Indian National Football Team remains in 124th position. Further, the team India dropped down by three places on the list after they lost to qualify for the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The team India lost its qualifiers to Qatar and Afghanistan. Whereas, Argentina the world champion consolidates its top position. Since the December month of the last year, the Indian team has been dropping down on the list. Since last year, the team has been sliding down from the top 100, breaking their position with a best ranking of 99. The position of Indian team has been on the boat towards the south direction, continuously going downward.
In Asia, the Indian team stayed in the 22nd position after Lebanon, Palestine, and Vietnam. India lost the match against the FIFA World Cup qualifier in Guwahati by 1 goal. India has kicked one goal whereas Afghanistan banged 2 goals, the 1 goal has taken Afghanistan’s team ahead on the table. Sunil Chhetri scored a penalty in the match, leading India ahead in the first half. Sunil has a 150th international appearance in this match. On the other hand, Rahmat Akbari, the opposite team player banged a goal, which took the Afghanistan team to the same position. Sharif Mukhammad kicked the second goal on a mistake of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu which helped the Afghanistan team win the match.
An Overview of the “India National Football Team”
The Indian national football team has also been known as the Blue Tigers. It represents India in international football and is governed by the “All India Football Federation” (AIFF). it was established in 1937 and since then India has had a rich history. The significant achievements of the team include winning the gold medal at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games. However, India has not qualified for the FIFA World Cup. But, they did qualify for the 1950 World Cup after all the victories of the nations in the qualification group. Further, India won the South Asian Football Federation championship several times which established dominance in the South Asian region. The Indian football team also participated four times in the AFC Asian Cup. Currently, the captain of the Indian team is Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Sunil Chhetri is the most capped and top scorer in the history of Indian football.
An Introduction of the “Afghanistan National Football Team”
The Afghanistan national football team represent Afghanistan in international football and is governed by the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF). Further, the Afghanistan football team was formed in 1922 and is one of the oldest national teams in Asia. They became a member of FIFA in 1948 and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954. Afghanistan football team won the South Asian Football Federation championship in 2013. It is one of the notable achievements of the team. They played their first international game in Kabul against Iran in 1941. The team play home games at the Ghazi National Olympic Stadium, situated in the capital of Afghanistan. The team has notable results in their pocket. They played against Qatar who was the champion of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. In that match, they gave a tough fight to Qatar and made the match draw with no goal hit by any team. In fact, the Afghanistan team has never qualified for the AFC Asian Cup.
Match Details: India vs. Afghanistan (FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers – 2nd Match)
Date: March 26, 2024
Venue: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati, India
Result: India 1 – 2 Afghanistan
Goals:
India: Sunil Chhetri (1 goal)
Afghanistan: Rahmat Akbari (1 goal), Sharif Mukhammad (1 goal, penalty)
Summary
India’s Goal: Sunil Chhetri scored for India in his 150th international appearance.
The effort of Sunil paid off in the 35th minute when he scored a brilliant goal which gave India, the lead in the match.
Despite India’s lead, Afghanistan team capitalised on a defensive lapse by India and Rahmat Akbari scored the equaliser in the 60th minute.
In the second half, India made several changes where they introduced Anirudh Thapa and Lallianzuala Chhangte on the field in order to inject fresh energy into the squad. However, changes did not produce the desired conclusion. The match took a decisive turn in the 85th minute when Afghanistan got up a penalty following a defensive error by India. Sharif Mukhammad stepped up and converted the penalty into a goal, which gave Afghanistan a crucial 2-1 lead.
Final words
The 2-1 defeat to Afghanistan and the qualifying match of the World Cup 2026 was tough to digest. Despite Sunil Chhetri’s goal, the defensive lapse is an inability to maintain the lead cost. Indian team heavy. The match was a testament to the resilience and tactical acumen of the Afghanistan team. The victory booted Afghanistan, standing in the qualifiers, which provided them with crucial points and confidence. the performance of the Afghanistan team showcases their potential to be a formidable opponent in the qualifiers.
