Head coach Igor Stimac on Monday said he will resign from the post if the Indian football team fails to reach the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Stimac has prioritised qualification to the third round and secure a direct entry into the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. "If I don't take India to the third round I will leave, with my pride, with my honour on everything that was done here in the five years of work. I will leave my position to someone else," Stimac told reporters on the eve of India's home leg match against Afghanistan in Guwahati.