CAFA Nations Cup, Know your Opponents: Oman

Indian men’s football team will take on Oman in the 3rd-4th place playoff of the CAFA Nations Cup in Hisor, Tajikistan on Monday as they look to finish on the podium in their first-ever appearance in the tournament.

But Khalid Jamil’s men will face a tough task against Oman who the Blue Tigers haven’t beaten in recent history.

FIFA ranking and History

Oman are ranked 79th in FIFA rankings and have been in the top 100 since 2018. Al-Ahmar achieved their best FIFA ranking of 50 in 2004 and have since had a topsy-turvy ride.

Match Preview: India vs Oman

Oman have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but have qualified for five of the last six AFC Asian Cups. Al-Ahmar have been a force in the Gulf region having won the Gulf Cup twice (2009 and 2017-18). They have finished as runners-up in the Gulf Cup on the last two occasions (2024-25 and 2023).

This is their second appearance in the CAFA Nations Cup, having finished third in 2023, a feat that they will look to repeat on Monday.

Oman have qualified for the fourth round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers and are in the running for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA.

Form Guide: WWDDL

Oman have lost just one of their last five matches and are unbeaten in the CAFA Nations Cup. They drew against Uzbekistan before beating Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan to qualify for the next round.

Under new head coach Carlos Queiroz, Oman have scored in each of their three games and look in good shape ahead of their game against India.

Head-to-head record

India have never beaten Oman in a competitive match. In the ten meetings between the two teams, the Blue Tigers have lost seven and drawn three. On a positive note, two of those three draws have come in the last five meetings between the two teams.

Key Players

Issam Al Sabhi

The 28-year-old forward has been Oman’s go-to attacker in recent times and is also the team’s leading goalscorer in the CAFA Nations Cup with two goals. He has scored eight goals for Oman since the start of 2024 and will be Queiroz’s main weapon against a stubborn Indian defence.

Harib Al-Saadi

The most experienced player in the Oman ranks, Al-Saadi who has over 100 appearances for Oman will be a key player for Al-Ahmar on Monday. A deep midfielder, Al-Saadi will look to control the game from the heart of midfield and keep India in their own half. His experience will come handy in a crunch game like this as Oman look to finish third in the CAFA Nations Cup for the second time in a row.

Coach: Carlos Queiroz

The former Real Madrid and Portugal head coach, Queiroz is a known name in world football and has vast experience in Asian football having coached teams like the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Qatar.

The CAFA Nations Cup is his first assignment as head coach of Oman as he has been appointed with an aim to secure the team’s first FIFA World Cup qualification.

Third place in the CAFA Nations Cup will be seen as a good start to his tenure.

The Portuguese has mostly used a 4-1-4-1 formation with plenty of changes in personnel as he looks to test his squad ahead of the fourth round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers.