FIFA World Cup | India drawn with Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan, Bangladesh for qualifiers

07/17/2019

The Indian football team has been grouped with Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in Group E for Round 2 FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers. The draw took place at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur earlier on Wednesday.

India will have a tough challenge from teams like Qatar and Oman in the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in coming days. Asian Champions Qatar and Oman are the two big teams in Group E in which India’s neighbours Bangladesh and Afghanistan are the other teams.

After the draw came out, Head Coach Igor Stimac labelled it as “a very tough challenge.”

“It will be an enormous challenge for your young team. We have been drawn into a very tough group,” Stimac was quoted as saying by the AIFF.

“The day marks the beginning of an exciting journey for Asia’s top 40 teams. The top 12 teams qualify automatically for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, and they will move closer to qualification for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It’s fitting that Asia kicked-off this qualification as we will host World Cup finals for only the second time,” AFC General Secretary Dato Windsor John said.

Without singling out any single team, Stimac stated that “we need to respect every opposition.”