India vs Afghanistan, FIFA World Cup qualifiers: Where India stands and what it needs to do next
India, currently fourth in Group E, has two home and two away matches left to be played, and its chances of making it to the next round look remote.
Published : Nov 14, 2019 21:56 IST
Seiminlen Doungel's stoppage-time goal helped India draw level against Afghanistan and kept its World Cup 2022 hopes alive. This was India's third draw from four qualifying matches, and leaves the Blue Tigers languishing fourth in the Group E standings.
Qatar leads the group with 10 points from 4 matches followed by Oman on 6 points. With two home and two away matches left to be played, India's chances of making it to the next round look remote.
Round One: The 12 lowest ranked nations played two-legged ties in June 2019. Guam, Macau, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, Bangladesh and Cambodia advanced.
READ| India vs Afghanistan, FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Doungel rescues a point for India
Round Two: The six winners from the first round join the other 34 Asian nations, drawn into eight groups of five teams -- also played as qualifiers for the 2023 Asian Cup finals.
The eight group winners and the four best group runners-up go through. If Qatar win its group, seven group winners and five best group runners-up progress. India will play Oman next on November 19, and needs to finish second to have any hopes of advancing to the third round.
Group A: China, Syria, Philippines, Maldives, Guam Group B: Australia, Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Kuwait, Nepal Group C: Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Cambodia Group D: Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Palestine, Yemen, Singapore Group E: Bangladesh, Oman, India, Afghanistan, Qatar Group F: Japan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Myanmar, Mongolia Group G: United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia Group H: South Korea, Lebanon, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka |