The FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers Stage witnessed an unforgettable clash between India and Qatar. Held at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, this India vs Qatar World Cup Qualifiers 2026 is a rollercoaster of emotions for their fans.
The Opening Goal of India vs Qatar World Cup Qualifiers 2026
The match starts with the first goal from India. Lallianzuala Chhangte is the player who scored the goal, beating Qatar’s goalkeeper Shehab Ellethy with a well-placed shot. This was a significant moment as this goal marked the first goal from the start of the match after a long 37 minutes. This made India’s fans erupt in joy, their cheers echoing throughout the stadium, expressing their pride and support for India team.
The Controversy Goal From Qatar
The Indian fans’ joy did not last forever as Qatar bounced back with 2 goals in the last minutes. Qatar’s Yousef Aymen successfully shot the equalizer ball in the 73rd minute. The goal has caused controversy and sparked widespread outrage among Indian fans. Here what’s happened:
- Yousef Aymen of Qaar attempted a header on a free-kick by Abdullah Alahrak.
- Gurpreet Singh Sandhu successfully defended the goal and pushed the ball out of the field.
- However, despite the ball seeming like crossed the line, Hashmi Hussein of Qatar still kicked it back to the ground, so Aymen could send it to India’s net.
- India’s players did not accept the goal, believing that the game should be stopped with a corner or goal kick.
- Despite the refused of India’s players, the referee still awarded the goal to Qatar.
Here is the playback of the controversial goal in India vs Qatar World Cup Qualifiers 2026:
After the controversy goal of Qatar, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has lodged a complaint with the match commissioner, requesting a probe into the goal due to the replay of this goal clearly showed that the ball had clearly crossed the line before being kicked back to play. AIFF also wrote to the FIFA Head of Qualifiers, the AFC Head of Referees, the AFC Head of Competitions and the Match Commissioner, requesting to look into the “Grave supervision error” in the India vs Qatar World Cup Qualifiers 2026. So far, there is no public information from FIFA to respond.
India’s Defeat the Match With 2-1 For Qatar
After the “not quite fair” goal from Yousef Aymen, Ahmed Al-Rawi of Qatar scored a goal in the 85th minute, sealing the India vs Qatar World Cup Qualifiers 2026 match with 2-1 victory for Qatar as India Out of World Cup Qualifiers. However. despite the loss, India’s performance was exceptional, showing their determination and spirit of the game.
The Journey After This Match
This loss ended India’s Qualifiers Journey. Kuwait defeated Afghanistan 1-0 in the last match, in the second round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. To process the 3rd round of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers, India has to finish in the top two of group A. However, India is currently the 3rd after the loss against Qatar and will not be able to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Qatar, with 13 points, secured the top spot and a berth in the next round.
The Future of Indian Football
Football is not a main sport in India, however, its community growing exponentially every year. Indian Football faced many challenges such as competition from other sports. Cricket and kabaddi are the two most-watched sports in India.
As of now, India is ranked 132th on the FIFA World Rankings. The goal of AIFF is to improve the rank and make football a more effective sport in India.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, India did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026. However, this India vs Qatar World Cup Qualifiers 2026 was a significant event in Indian football. Clearly, they will continue to gain success in the future.
