FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: AIFF files complaints against the goal by Qatar player.
AIFF stands for All India Football Federation, which manages the entire football in the nation.
Currently, the qualifiers are going on for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
In total, 10 groups have been formed, from Group A to Group H.
Four teams have been placed in each group, and the top two teams will advance to the next stage.
India has been placed in the first group with Kuwait, Qatar, and Afghanistan.
Matches
India was set to play against Afghanistan on March 26.
Kuwait on the 6th of June and Qatar on the 11th of June.
India vs. Afghanistan
The first match of the qualifier group stage was played at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.
India started great, as in the 38th minute they got a penalty.
And the captain and main striker of India, Sunil Chhetri, converted it into a goal.
By the half time, India was in the lead by 1-0.
In the 70th minute, Rahmat Akbari of Afghanistan scored a goal, leveling the scores.
Going on in the 88th minute, Afghanistan got a penalty.
They converted it into a goal and won the match by 2-1.
India vs. Kuwait
The India vs. Kuwait match was all set to be played at Salt Lake Stadium.
It was a big match for India, the farewell match for their star Sunil Chhetri.
Sunil Chhetri is the captain of the Indian football team.
Some time earlier, he declared his retirement and announced that this match would be his last.
The champion of the Indian team will be going to rest his boots.
He has been the backbone of the Indian team and has uplifted them.
The match started with great enthusiasm and was going neck-to-neck.
The match ended in a draw as Kuwait won the penalty shootouts.
India vs. Qatar
This was the last match of the qualifier, and India needed to win this one to qualify.
The match started great as India scored a goal in the 37th minute and took the lead.
India continued to dominate until the 73rd minute, when Qatar scored their first goal.
The score was tied as they scored another goal in the 85th minute.
AIFF raised complaints about the last goal as the ball went out of the line of play.
Even the players argued about that, but it was considered a goal as Qatar won by 2-1.
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