A massive controversy erupted during India’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match against Qatar on Tuesday at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. The hosts struck a controversial goal to level the contest before sneaking the winner in the game’s closing minutes. India never managed to recover from that disputed goal, and the heartbreaking 1-2 loss ended their World Cup dream, as they were eliminated from the tournament in the second round.

Lallianzuala Chhangte gave India a deserving lead in the 37th minute of the contest and stood on the verge of scripting a big win in their first match after Sunil Chhetri’s retirement, but in a moment of controversy, the Gurpreet Singh Sandhu-led team lost the plot.

It happened in the 73rd minute of the match when Yousef Aymen struck the equaliser after the ball had clearly gone out of play. Gurpreet saved the header from Aymen at the far post, before the ball trickled under him and crossed the line, implying a corner for Qatar. But Al-Hashmi backheeled the ball into the box, and Aymen tapped it in for a goal.

Qatar players burst into a wild celebration, while the Indian players vehemently protested, with Sandhu charging towards the line referee to explain that the ball was out of play. But none of the match officials paid any heed to the requests. Moreover, with no VAR decision, India were wronged owing to “pathetic refereeing.”