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Sunil Chhetri's Last Dance In India's Must-Win Match Against Kuwait

Emotions will run high when the talismanic Sunil Chhetri leads India out one last time in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait here on Thursday, hoping to propel his team into the next round as a parting gift after dominating the national football landscape for 19 years. The 39-year-old Chhetri will hang his boots at the end of this match and would like to ensure that the team enters the final-18 stage of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. The top two teams from nine groups of four teams each will go on to make the third stage. This round will decide FIFA's increased allocation of eight World Cup berths for Asia.

"Not About Me And My Last Game": Sunil Chhetri On Must-Win Match vs Kuwait

Indian football team talisman Sunil Chhetri on Wednesday played down the hype around his last international match and sought to bring the focus back to the team's crucial FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait. A win on Thursday will almost guarantee the Indian team a place maiden appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup, the finals of which are scheduled to be held in USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. Chhetri last month announced that the second leg match against Kuwait would be his last in international football, having enjoyed a glorious career spanning 19 years.

India Coach Igor Stimac Calls Upcoming Match Against Kuwait "Career Changing" For His Team

Indian football team coach Igor Stimac on Sunday said the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait could "change the careers" of his players and described it as a "huge game". India will take on Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium in their penultimate second-round game, which will be followed by the away match against Qatar on June 11. Despite their shocking loss to lower-ranked Afghanistan in the home leg match in Guwahati in March, India can still make a maiden entry into the third round of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

"These Last Few Days": Sunil Chhetri Shares Emotional Post Ahead Of Final International Game

The entire footballing fraternity is counting the days till June 6 when an icon of the sport, Sunil Chettri will be donning the Blue Tigers jersey for the final time against Kuwait at Salt Lake Stadium. Chhetri announced his retirement in an emotional nine-minute-long video posted on social media on May 16. Sunil Chhetri took to Instagram to share his thoughts and mindset heading into his final game. “These last few days, I've been caught in a bit of a dilemma. Now that there's a number to my days with the national team, what's the right route to take - do I count every day, every training session? Or do I simply turn up without the thought of how this is coming to an end?” read the post by the Indian skipper.

Igor Stimac Expects Packed Salt Lake Stadium To Bid Farewell To Sunil Chhetri

Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac expects fans from all over the country to throng the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata during the country's World Cup qualification match against Kuwait on June 6, which will also be the last international match for talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri. The match against Kuwait will mark the end of Chhetri's glittering 19-year international career during which he became India's top goal-scorer with 94 strikes. He will leave the scene as India's most-capped player after competing in 151 matches at the end of his swansong contest.

Igor Stimac Gives Positive Update From India's Training Camp Ahead Of WC Qualifiers

In two week's time India will play host to Kuwait at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on June 6. Ahead of the highly awaited FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification matchup, team India head coach Igor Stimac has given a positive update regarding the team. Stimac posted a video on X, which showed glimpses of the Blue Tigers' training camp. "10 days in, players are responding well. Happy to see the senior players making first time campers feel comfortable and sharing their experience with the young boys on a daily basis," read a post shared by the Croatian on X. India currently sit in second place behind Qatar in group A with 4 points to their name. The Blue Tigers' only win of the campaign came against Kuwait (1-0) thanks to a late goal by Manvir Singh.

Friends Indeed: When Sunil Chhetri Sounded Out Virat Kohli Before Retirement Announcement

As Sunil Chhetri sat contemplating how he would break his retirement plans to the world, he knew there was one man who would understand what exactly he was going through and Virat Kohli did not disappoint the iconic Indian football captain. The 39-year-old Chhetri, the most capped India footballer with 150 matches to his credit and the country's top-scorer with 94 goals, will hang up his boots after the World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait on June 6 in Kolkata. Chhetri's announcement came on Thursday, driven by, what he described as, rather inexplicable instincts. And he chose Kohli as one of his confidantes before going public with his decision.

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Sunil Chhetri's Last Dance In India's Must-Win Match Against Kuwait

"Not About Me And My Last Game": Sunil Chhetri On Must-Win Match vs Kuwait

India Coach Igor Stimac Calls Upcoming Match Against Kuwait "Career Changing" For His Team

"These Last Few Days": Sunil Chhetri Shares Emotional Post Ahead Of Final International Game

Igor Stimac Expects Packed Salt Lake Stadium To Bid Farewell To Sunil Chhetri

Igor Stimac Gives Positive Update From India's Training Camp Ahead Of WC Qualifiers

Friends Indeed: When Sunil Chhetri Sounded Out Virat Kohli Before Retirement Announcement