File image of the Indian soccer staff gamers. The nationwide staff will play their first two 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Bhubaneswar and Guwahati| Photo Credit: Murali Kumar Ok

Bhubaneswar and Guwahati will host India's opening two house matches within the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2, the All India Football Federation introduced on Saturday.

India have been drawn in Group A of the Asian qualifiers, alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and the winners of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 fixture between Afghanistan and Mongolia.

The Blue Tigers will open their marketing campaign with an away fixture in opposition to Kuwait on November 16 earlier than internet hosting reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar on the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on November 21 this 12 months.

In 2024, India will play back-to-back matches in opposition to Afghanistan or Mongolia, beginning with the away fixture on March 21 after which return house to the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati, the place they are going to play the second leg of the tie on March 26.

"We would like to congratulate Football Association of Odisha and Assam Football Association on successfully bidding for the hosting rights of the aforementioned matches, and wish all the success for delivering the said matches at a world-class level with the support from the respective state governments," AIFF secretary basic Shaji Prabhakaran mentioned in a media launch.

The hosts for India's house leg in opposition to Kuwait on June 6 subsequent 12 months shall be confirmed at a later date.