Igor Stimac, the India senior men's team head coach, announced a 23-member squad for the Fifa World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 match against Qatar on Saturday.
This is the first squad named after Sunil Chhetri, the former India captain, played his 151st and final international match for India in the 0-0 draw against Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6.
After that result, India remain in the second spot with five points with a goal difference of -3.
In their final fixture, India will take on the two-time Asian champions Qatar in their last Group A match on Tuesday at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Afghanistan also played out a 0-0 draw with Qatar and maintained third spot with a goal difference of -10. Kuwait are still bottom of the pile with four points. With Qatar already having booked their spot in the third round, all the other three teams remain in contention for the second and final berth.
India will qualify for the third round if they beat Qatar and maintain their goal-difference advantage over Afghanistan, who will face Kuwait on the same day.
A point will also be enough for the Blue Tigers if Afghanistan versus Kuwait also ends in a draw. However, a defeat in Qatar will end India's hopes of progressing, irrespective of the other result.
India's 23-member squad for the FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Qatar:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Narender, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Edmund Lalrindika, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nandhakumar Sekar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam.
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Vikram Partap Singh, David Lalhlansanga.