Srinagar: Hosts India suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat against Afghanistan in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
It was complete turnaround as Afghanistan came from behind to register a fantastic 2-1 win.
Sharif Mukhammad scored a late penalty to help Afghanistan beat India 2-1. Sunil Chhetri had scored his 94th international goal in his 150th appearance for the Indian men’s football team but Rahmat Akbari scored in the 70th minute to equalise for Afghanistan before Mukhammad scored a late penalty to spoil the Indian captain’s milestone match.
After the 2-1 loss to Afghanistan, India currently lie in second place in their group with 4 points. Currently, Qatar lead the group with their perfect 9 points in their 3 matches so far.
Despite the loss, India can still qualify into the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, provided they can atleast grab three points in their upcoming two games against Qatar and Kuwait. The comparatively easier tie for India, comes with their clash against Kuwait on June 6.
India will also be hoping that Afghanistan will lose atleast one of their 2 upcoming matches, most preferably against Kuwait on June 11. This will see India qualify for the third round as the second-placed team of their group.