Upbeat india

Preliminary Joint Qualification Round: Unbeaten at home this year, the Indian senior men's national team takes on Asian champions Qatar in their biggest test in their second match of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 for FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 here on Tuesday.

Igor Stimac's men were off to a flying start four days ago with three points against Kuwait in Group A, India will now count on home support in a very familiar location to tackle the test from the 61-ranked Qatari side at the Kalinga Stadium here.

Bhubaneswar's Kalinga Stadium has been quite lucky for the Blue Tigers. The Intercontinental Cup triumph in June, which was India's first international tournament in the Odisha capital, has ignited a footballing fire in an already sports-crazy city. The enthusiasm is reflected in the fact that the match is already sold out.