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India scripted history by defeating the Korean Republic and Malaysia in the FIFAe Nations Series to qualify for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 for the very first time in history. The event is scheduled from July 26 to July 30 and will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Journey
The journey for the Indian efootball team kicked off in January last year when the All India Football Federation signed the participation agreement with FIFA for the FIFAe Nations Series 2021.
India was among 60 countries to participate and was placed in the Middle East & Africa Zone. India finished third in its zone, narrowly missing out on a place in the FIFAe Nations playoffs 2021.
India ended the season with a global ranking of 22 and finished above heavyweights such as Italy, Argentina and Spain in the 2021 rankings.
For the 2022 season, India was moved to Asia/Oceania region and was awarded a spot in the Play-Ins, which would provide direct qualification to the Playoffs (the last stage before the Nations Cup).
During the play-ins, India played 32 games across four match weeks and got 12 wins, 11 losses and nine draws.
The Playoffs
With this, India successfully qualified for the Playoffs by finishing second in the Consistency Points chart, moving one step closer to the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022. During this period, India also achieved its highest global ranking of 19.
Heading into the playoffs, the equation was simple for India. Two matches - two wins - and this is what the team delivered.
