India’s home match against Kuwait on June 6 could be among head coach Igor Stimac’s most important matches at the helm of affairs as the country seeks to make it to the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time in its history.

Stimac is believed to have told the technical committee of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in a virtual meeting on Saturday that even if India beats Afghanistan twice (home and away) in March, it will still be difficult to qualify for the third round if the team does not do well against Kuwait.