Why? A sneaky new tournament format. Normally, after group stages, teams go into another group phase. But this year? Round 2 is a mini round-robin. India and England (from Group D) join Netherlands and Argentina/Japan (from Group A) in Group E; and here’s the catch: India carries zero points and a -2 GD from their loss to England, while England gets 3 points and +2 GD from that same match. So even before Round 2 starts, India’s already behind. Netherlands, if they win, start with 3 points too. That means India must win both games *and* hope others lose; all while fixing their goal difference. It’s not impossible. But it’s brutal. Fun fact: India’s last World Cup win was in 1975. 51 years ago. This squad has Olympic gold in their sights; but the path is now math, not just muscle.