The craze for football can be seen in India as FIFA Soccer World Cup 2026 Qualifiers pick up. People are excited about the football World Cup after the Indian team beat Kuwait. No wonder Manvir Singh’s coaches have decided to value his presence in the team because of his lack of height. However, Igor Stimac showed concern because of the height issue that his boys were going to face against the opponent team, Kuwait.
But Mavir during the first World Cup qualifier round 2 game acted as a band-aid for the team. FIFA Soccer World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: India begins 2nd round campaign. On Thursday night, the holding man was Mohun Bagan for the forward line. He gave India the goal for the entire game. This was the winning start to the Fifa 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
It is just like home.
Out of the expatriate communities in Kuwait, the Indian people living there are around 10 lakh in the Middle East country. This is the largest demographic of immigrants that represents itself compared to Kuwait fans. No wonder the Kuwait fans were outdone by the Indian fans in Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 60, 000 persons.
The cheers were loud enough when India got the ball. And the cheers got louder when Sahal Abdul Samad got the ball. He is the attacking midfielder of the team and played his formative years in the same country, Kuwait.
Both teams were meeting for the third time in 2023. The initial clash was for its quality; the second clash was for the fiery battles, which led to India winning a penalty shootout and taking the SAFF Cup.
Sunday was known to be dull, with Kuwait getting control during the game. But Gurpreet Singh’s goal never got threatened. Also, India managed to take control of any forays from the opponent team. They didn’t even show any technical acumen to hold the ball for longer.
The first half of the game showed a solitary chance for the Indian team. The Nikhil Poojary cutback was skied by Sunil Chhetri, who is the skipper. This chance was created with another high press. This is a way that was born and got better in the first half of 2023. It has become continuous for the Indian team.
Kuwait had a bright second half but faced a quick death. India got the opportunity to get the late goal with the clock ticking. The Indian team came out with an excellent win. They are now going to defend Asian Champions Qatar in Bhubaneswar.
