Live streaming, FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers: India vs Afghanistan football - where to watch, schedule

The Indian men's football team will take on Afghanistan in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers, with the Group A matches set to be played on Friday and Tuesday.

The first India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match will be played at the Damac Club Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia and the second will be at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, India. Both the IND vs AFG football matches will be available to watch on live streaming and TV in India.

India began the FIFA World Cup qualifiers campaign with a 1-0 victory over Kuwait. However, Sunil Chhetri and Co. suffered a 3-0 loss to Qatar on home soil in their second outing. Although they are level on points with Kuwait, the Indian football team is third in the group on the basis of goal difference.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, are still searching for their first win in the second round of the qualifying campaign. They suffered a massive 8-1 loss at the hands of Qatar while Kuwait put four goals past them without a reply. As a result, Afghanistan are at the bottom of Group A.

India head coach Igor Stimac has named a strong 25-member squad for the matches against Afghanistan. The Indian team, however, will be without ace defender Sandesh Jhingan, who is nursing an injury.

India are yet to win a match in 2024 while Afghanistan have not played competitive football since November 2023. The two teams have squared off 11 times against each other with India winning seven matches. Afghanistan have managed only one win over India.

The second round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers features 36 football teams divided into nine groups of four. The teams will play each other in a home-away round-robin format.

The top two teams from the group qualify for the third qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and earn a direct entry in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia.

Where to watch India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers live

Live streaming of India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers will be on FanCode. The IND vs AFG football match will also be telecast live on the DD Sports TV channel in India.

India vs Afghanistan football, FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers schedule

All in Indian Standard Times (IST)

• March 22, Friday: Afghanistan vs India - 12:30 AM
• March 26, Tuesday: India vs Afghanistan - 7:00 PM

India vs Afghanistan, FIFA World Cup 2026 AFC qualifiers: Indian football squad

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh, Rahul Bheke, Nikhil Poojary, Subhasish Bose, Anwar Ali, Amey Ranawade, Jay Gupta

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Imran Khan

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Vikram Partap Singh