India to play friendlies against Oman and UAE ahead of WC qualifiers

India’s last international assignment was against Oman in November 2019 during the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign. So far, the Blue Tigers have failed to register even a single win in their campaign, having collected just five points from five matches. With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing an abrupt halt, Igor Stimac’s men still have three matches left - against Qatar and Afghanistan at home and away to Bangladesh.

Even though the fixtures for the remaining qualifiers are not announced, the matches will be staged in March. As a part of preparations for the qualifiers, the Sunil Chhetri-led side will play two friendlies against Oman and the United Arab Emirates in Dubai on March 25 and March 29 respectively.

As per the latest reports, a national camp will begin on March 15, with it also to be held in Dubai to get used to the conditions in the middle-east country. As far as the qualifiers are concerned, the Blue Tigers cannot make it to the next round, with Qatar and Oman already making the cut.