Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac announced a 23-member squad ahead of the crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 match against Qatar on Saturday.

The Blue Tigers recently played to a goalless draw against Kuwait in Kolkata in their last World Cup qualifier game, which also marked Sunil Chhetri’s final international match. Despite this, India is second in the Group A standings with five points from five matches, keeping their hopes alive for advancing to the third round for the first time.

Stimac’s squad will face Qatar in their last group stage match on June 11, 2024, at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. Qatar, the two-time Asian champions, are unbeaten in the group-stage matches and lead the table with 13 points from five matches.

Notably, Subhasish Bose, Lalchungnunga, and Amey Ranawade, who were part of the squad for the Kuwait game, are missing from the latest squad.

Qatar has made changes too, dropping some regular players in favor of younger faces. Speaking in this
context, Stimac remarked in the post-Kuwait match press conference, "In five days' time, this might be India U23 against Qatar U23 if you look at the age and the players we have, so I expect a lot from this game, to be honest.”

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.