FULL TIME
Summary and highlights of Afghanistan 0-0 India in World Cup Qualifiers 2026
Goalless draw in a game with few chances, both teams take a point and will meet again next Tuesday.
Thank you all!
Thank you all for joining us in this intense duel with an exciting ending, it has been a pleasure to be with all of you, see you again!
END OF THE GAME
A goalless draw in which there were few chances during the match. The points were shared and on Tuesday they will meet again, this time in India.
⏱️ 90+3'
Musawi's long-range shot, which was poorly hit and went high and wide. This could have been the last of the match
⏱️ 90'
Five minutes of added time. We will go to 95'.
🟨 88'
Deepak Tangri gets the yellow. The second for an Indian player
The other group match
Qatar have managed to beat Kuwait 3-1 and remain top of Group A with nine. If this result holds in the Afghanistan vs India match, they would have five more than India.
⏱️ 86'
Both teams seem to be satisfied with the point and are more afraid of losing that point than daring to go for the win.
🔃 83'
Second change in Afghanistan. Musawi takes the field
⏱️ 81'
Less than 10 minutes left plus whatever the referee adds. The score remains 0-0
🔃 78'
India's triple change has exhausted the changes. While Afghanistan has seen the first change with the entry of Asekzai
🟨 76'
Nazary prevented India's attack and earns the first yellow card for an Afghanistan player and the second of the match.
⏱️ 73'
We only had two shots on goal in the match. And both from Afghanistan. India has had more shots, five in total, but none of them have been on target.
⏱️ 69'
Hydration break. Time is running out for both teams and still no goals.
⏱️ 64'
Afghanistan continues to create danger. One of the most dangerous is Mosawer, who put a good ball into the box, but no one managed to finish it off.
🔃 60'
Double change in India. First changes of the match. Vikram Partap Singh and Mishra are substituted in place of Fernandes and Bose.
⏱️ 58'
Akash Mishra's cross into the box, but Vikram's header went wide. India are pressing in this second half looking to take the win;
🟨 56'
The first yellow card of the match goes to India's striker Vikram Partap.
⏱️ 52'
Vikram Sandhu after a good run has earned India a penalty corner.
⏱️ 49'
The first arrival of the second half is for India after Vikram Partap Singh could not control the ball. The ball went out on the baseline and Afghanistan will kick out of the goal.
⏱️ 46'
The second half begins. The same 22 players on the field. No changes for now
HALF TIME
The first 45 minutes ended with no goals on the scoreboard. There is a goalless draw
⏱️ 45'
We are entering stoppage time. There will be three minutes of added time
⏱️ 44'
Chhetri's long-range shot, which goes into the goalkeeper's hands without creating much danger to the goalkeeper.
⏱️ 41'
Chhetri's long-range shot, which goes into the goalkeeper's hands without creating much danger to the goalkeeper.
⏱️ 38'
Vikram Partak Singh's corner kick was headed in at the near post by Manvir Singh, but the ball went just wide of the post.
⏱️ 35'
We enter the last ten minutes of the first half. The score remains goalless on the scoreboard;
⏱️ 31'
First clear chance for Afghanistan. Mosawer had it, but his shot was not too powerful and the goalkeeper Sandhu saved it.
⏱️ 28'
Manvir Singh was hurt, but it looks like he will be able to stay on the field after hurting his knee.
⏱️ 24'
Lallianzuala Chhangte's cross is met with a header, but Rahul Bheke's shot goes wide. The away team continues to create chances today.
⏱️ 20'
Three shots in the match. Two for India and one for Afghanistan, but none of them were on target.
⏱️ 16'
They found Manvir Singh, who shot wide. A good opportunity is missing from India
⏱️ 12'
Dangerous free kick for Afghanistan, which ends with a shot that misses the goal.
⏱️ 8'
Good start for India, which is who is taking the initiative of the party in these first stages
⏱️ 4'
Nikhil Poojary wins a corner for India after his cross was cleared by the rival defense
⏱️ 1'
Starts the match. The ball is rolling. By the way, the South Korean referee Kim will be in charge of directing the match.
All set
The 22 players are ready to take the field. Before the ball starts rolling, the national anthems will be played.
XI India
Gurpreet; Nikhil Poojari, Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Manvir Singh; Apuia, Jeakson, Chhangte; Chettri, Vikram Pratap.
Afghanistan seeks first victory over India
Of the eight meetings, none of them have been won by Afghanistan. They have only managed a draw in two, while the remaining six have fallen in India's favor.
Two matches in five days
Afghanistan and India will meet again this Thursday and on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, they will meet again in the fourth match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. That match will be played at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium.
At this moment
The other Group A match, between Qatar and Kuwait, has just kicked off.
Group status
After the first two matches of the qualification for the 2026 World Cup in group A, Qatar is the leader with six points, followed by Kuwait and India with three points. Afghanistan closes the group, which has not yet added any games
Last five matches of India
Syria 1-0 India : Asian Cup : January 23, 2024
India 0-3 Uzbekistan : Asian Cup: January 18, 2024
Australia 2-0 India | Asian Cup: January 13, 2024
India 0-3 Qatar | World Cup Qualifiers 2026: November 21, 2023
Kuwait 0-1 India : World Cup Qualifiers 2026 : November 16, 2023
Afghanistan's last five matches
Afghanistan 0-4 Kuwait : World Cup Qualifiers 2026: 21 November 2023 Qatar 8-1 Afghanistan : World Cup Qualifiers 2026 : November 16, 2023 Mongolia 0-1 Afghanistan | World Cup Qualifiers 2026: October 17, 2023 Afghanistan 1-0 Mongolia | World Cup Qualifiers 2026: October 12, 2023 Philippines 2-1 Afghanistan : Friendly Match : September 12, 2023
WE RETURN
In a few minutes the match between Afghanistan and India will kick off, both the preview and the minute by minute of the match can be followed here on VAVEL.
Stay tuned to follow Afghanistan vs India
In a few moments we will share with you the starting lineups for Afghanistan vs India as well as the latest information from Damac Stadium. Stay tuned to VAVEL's minute-by-minute live online coverage of the match.
Where to watch Afghanistan vs India?
If you want to watch the Afghanistan vs India match, it will not be available on television.
If you want to watch it online, VAVEL is your best option.
What time is the match between Afghanistan vs India?
This is the kick-off time of the match in several countries:
Argentina: 4 p.m.
Australia: 6 a.m.
Bolivia: 3 p.m.
Brazil: 4 p.m.
Chile: 4 p.m.
Colombia: 14 hours
Ecuador: 14 hours
Spain: 20 hours
United States (New York): 15 hours
United States (Los Angeles): 11 hours
India: 1 hour
Japan: 4 hours
Mexico: 13 hours
Nigeria: 20 hours
Paraguay: 16 hours
Peru: 14 hours
United Kingdom: 19 hours
Watch out for this player from India
Manvir Singh plays for Mohun Bagan SG in the Indian Super League. This 28-year-old center forward has two goals in 19 games this season. He played for the national team in the Asian Cup and has 20 caps to his name, scoring just two goals.
Watch out for this player from Afghanistan
Amredin Sharifi, a 31-year-old striker who last season played in the Bangladesh league. With 21 international caps, he has scored four goals for his national team. One of them in this World Cup qualifier against Qatar, but it was not enough to prevent a defeat.
News - India
India started the year playing in the Asian Cup where they bowed out in the group stage and failed to win a single match. While in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers they started by beating Kuwait, but were thrashed at home by Qatar with a 0-3 win. They are third in the group with three points, the same as Kuwait, which also has three.
News - Afghanistan
They have not made their debut in 2024, but ended 2023 with two drubbings. 8-1 against Qatar and 0-4 against Kuwait. They are currently bottom of group A with zero points, one goal scored and 12 conceded. Only the top two in each group advance to the third round.
Background
Eight times the teams of Afghanistan and India have met with a balance of two draws and six wins for the Indian team. The last time they met was in June 2022 in the Asian Cup qualifiers where India won 1-2.
The Stadium
The match will be played at Damac Stadium, a stadium located in Saudi Arabia. The stadium has a capacity of 20,000 spectators.
Preview of the match
Afghanistan and India will meet this Thursday, March 21, 2024 in the match corresponding to the third day of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Both teams are in Group A, which also includes Qatar and Kuwait.
Welcome to VAVEL.COM's coverage of the Afghanistan vs India match in World Cup Qualifiers 2026
My name is Manuel Carmona Hidalgo and I will be your host for this match. We will provide you with pre-match analysis and news here live on VAVEL.