Heading into the final round of fixtures, India, Afghanistan and Kuwait all had a chance of securing the second spot. Kuwait beat Afghanistan 1-0 in the final Group A matchday and joined Qatar in the third round.

For the Indian football team, the simplest way forward was to beat Qatar outright in their final match. Three points from the match would have taken India’s points tally to eight.

India, 121st in the FIFA Rankings, almost pulled off the Herculean task against world No. 34 Qatar.

Lallianzuala Chhangte’s strike in the 37th minute gave the underdogs a surprise lead but the Asian champions regrouped and struck twice in the second half to secure the victory.

A draw against Qatar would have taken India’s points tally to six but that too would have proved insufficient following Kuwait’s win over Afghanistan.

India have now been relegated to the third round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, where they will fight for continental qualification.