FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers: Fans dance and chant 'India, India' as Blue Tigers beat Kuwait 1-0 (WATCH)
By Sunita Iyer | First Published Nov 17, 2023, 12:33 PM ISTIndia secured a 1-0 victory over Kuwait in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with a late goal from Manvir Singh, positioning themselves for a historic chance to advance to the third round.
In their 2026 FIFA World Cup second-round qualifiers match on Thursday, India secured a 1-0 victory against Kuwait, courtesy of a late goal from Manvir Singh in Kuwait City. The decisive goal came in the 75th minute when Manvir connected with a Lallianzuala Chhangte cross, delivering a left-footed shot at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium.
. is on the brink of making history ๐
A 1-0 win against Kuwait sets the stage for for a potential first-ever World Cup qualification in 2026 ๐ฎ๐ณ pic.twitter.com/gZK6VSe819
.'s lightning strike โก๏ธ lights up India's ๐ฎ๐ณ Qualifiers campaign ๐ฅ๐คฉ
Match Report ๐๐ผ https://t.co/JLBx2q3B2Uโ๏ธ ๐ ๐ฏ โฝ pic.twitter.com/P3Whim3TJm
As the match concluded, Kuwait found themselves with 10 men after Faisal Alharbi received his second yellow card in the third minute of added time. This expulsion resulted from a high boot challenge on Chhangte, leaving Kuwait at a numerical disadvantage.
3โฃ Points โ
On to the next game, the big one against Qatar ๐
KUW ๐ฐ๐ผ 0๏ธโฃ-1โฃ IND ๐ฎ๐ณโ๏ธ ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ โฝ pic.twitter.com/Lsevhi84TA
โ ๐ฎ๐ณ Just the start we wanted ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ โฝ pic.twitter.com/TvP6Wdmq8o
โ Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball)Latest Videos
India's upcoming challenge in the qualifiers is against Asian champions Qatar on November 21 in Bhubaneswar. Placed in Group A alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and Afghanistan, India aims to secure a spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Furthermore, success in the qualifiers not only paves the way to the next stage but also ensures qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. Despite being ranked 106th in the world, the Blue Tigers had previously defeated Kuwait (ranked 149th) on penalties in the final of the SAFF Championships in July.
The historic opportunity to advance to the third round of AFC's FIFA World Cup qualifiers is within reach for India, and the upcoming clash against Qatar will be crucial in determining their journey in the prestigious tournament.
Several Indian fans celebrated the victory over Kuwait, with some chanting 'India, India' as they danced their way to glory. Here's a look at how Indian fans rejoiced the epic win:
Mad scenes in Kuwait as India beat Kuwait in the FIFA World Cup qualifier! ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐
Collected Video. pic.twitter.com/e2CiISyURK
It's not in Kerala, It's not in Kolkata, It's not in India, It's in Kuwait and the loud marches are on with the name India India ๐ฅบ๐ฎ๐ณ
Dream is Alive โค๏ธ๐ pic.twitter.com/snCfKPhiQK
๐๐๐โ๏ธ ๐ ๐ ๐ฏ โฝ pic.twitter.com/zGYfNbe1zy
โ Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball)๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ'๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ! ๐ฎ๐ณ๐
This is not in India, but in Kuwait. Thanks to every one of you who went and cheered for India tonight in the Jaber Al Ahmad Stadium! pic.twitter.com/gtRzRcaEMV
In a stunner, INDIA ๐ฎ๐ณdefeated KUWAIT 1-0, in their home ground in the FIFA WC 2023 AFC Qualifiers, taking home all crucial points
Manvir Singh was the goal scorer for India ๐ฅ
Mesmerizing seens from Kuwait as India wins FIFA World Cup qualifying game in 22 years pic.twitter.com/yv3EZ37YBg
Electric atmosphere at Kuwait after Goal ๐คฉโก pic.twitter.com/DIFlul4Jwf
โ The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia)Wonderful support for Team India in Kuwait ๐
BACK THE BLUES!!! pic.twitter.com/aXlZWRsBke
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