The draw for qualifiers of AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 was held on Thursday at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in which India is placed in Group A along with host Kuwait, Australia and Mongolia.
India’s performance so far:
India’s Footsal team is currently ranked 135 in the world rankings
This will be India’s second time AFC Footsal Asian Cup qualifier
In 2023, in its last qualifying campaign, India lost all three matches and was out of the group stage itself.
Compared to India in Group A:
Kuwait (host): the strongest contenders with experience and domestic support
Australia: Dakshi, strategic footstal playing team in speed and technology
Mongolia: Relatively new party, but full of possibilities
AFC said that this tournament is not only a platform for qualification, but is also important for the development of Footsal in Asia. This is a new beginning and opportunity for India to prove itself.
Qualifier in Kuwait City on 20-24 September
The draw for qualifiers of the AFC Footsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 was held in Malaysia on Thursday, in which India is placed in Group A along with hosts Kuwait, Australia and Mongolia. The qualifiers will be played in Kuwait City from 20 to 24 September 2025.
Fifa Footsal ranking of Group A teams:
Kuwait – 40th rank
Australia – 52nd rank
Mongolia – 112th rank
India – 135th rank
India is the lowest ranking team in this group, which makes this challenge more difficult.
Qualification format:
A total of 31 teams were divided into eight groups:
4-4 teams in 7 groups, and
3 teams in 1 group
This is the first time the draw was organized on the basis of Fifa Futsal rankings.
The winning team of each group and the seven best second place teams will qualify for the main tournament to be held in January 2026 in Indonesia.
Indonesia has already got a place in the main tournament as a host.
