Guwahati and Kolkata to host India's first two 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium and Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium will host the Indian football team's opening two 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers home matches.

Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium will host India's second 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers home game against Bangladesh on October 15.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary, Kushal Das, confirmed to  Sportstar  on Thursday that Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium and Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium will host the Indian football team's opening two World Cup Qualifiers home matches.

The Indian football team has been drawn alongside 2022 FIFA World Cup host Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in Group E, and will begin its hunt for a FIFA World Cup berth when it hosts Oman in the second round of Asian Qualifiers on September 5.

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"The first match against Oman will be hosted in Guwahati and the second game (vs Bangladesh) will be held in Kolkata," Das said. "These are world-class stadiums and are approved by AFC as they were used in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup," he added.

For their second match, Igor Stimac's men will travel to Qatar on September 10, before hosting Bangladesh on October 15. This will be followed by away games against Afghanistan on November 14 and Oman on November 19.

India will then host 2022 World Cup host Qatar on March 26, followed by a trip to Bangladesh on June 4. The Blue Tigers will finish their campaign on June 9 when they host Afghanistan.