The Indian men’s football team will kick start their 2023 AFC Asian Cup campaign with a clash against heavyweights Australia on January 13. The continental event remains the highest level of competition the Blue Tigers get to compete in, with the Fifa World Cup and the Olympics a step too far for the time being.
Though head coach Igor Stimac has time and again pointed out the lack of proper training camps before major tournaments, due to the year-long club based competitions in the country, expectations remains high as the 26-member Indian contingent enter the event in Qatar.
Significance of the AFC Asian Cup
The upcoming AFC Asian Cup will mark the 18th edition of the continental competition, the prime international contest in Asia.
The tournament was first held in 1956 and was held at a gap of four years until 2004. The tournament was then held in 2007 before going back to the four-year cycle to get it out of the way of the Olympics, which were held in the same years.
The AFC Asian Cup also remains the second oldest continental competition in footballing history behind only the Copa America, which was held for the first time in 1916.
The first three editions of the AFC Asian Cup just had four teams – with South Korea, Israel and Hong Kong being the regulars. South Vietnam played the first two editions, before India made their debut in the competition in the third edition in 1964.
South Korea won the first two editions, before Isarel clinched the title for the first time in 1964 with debutants India as runners-up.
The tournament was then expanded to five teams in the following edition in 1968 and has since grown from strength to strength. The 1980 edition saw 10 teams in action before being expanded to a 16-team competition in 2004.
The number of teams in AFC Asian Cup went past 20 for the first time in 2019, when a total of 24 teams competed in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan is the most successful team in the tournament with four titles – 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2011. They also finished as runners-up in the previous edition in 2019.
Saudi Arabia and Iran closely follow Japan with three AFC Asian Cup titles apiece.
India at the AFC Asian Cup
India have played in four of the 17 editions of the AFC Asian Cup so far.
India’s best showing in the tournament came way back in 1964, where they finished as runners-up behind Israel, with Inder Singh finishing as the top goal scorer back then. The team has, however, failed to go past the group stages ever since.
The 2019 campaign at the continental event saw India defeat Thailand 4-1 in their opening game – their first win in the tournament in 55 years. But the optimism did not last long as the team lost their next two matches, to the UAE and Bahrain, crashing out of the contest at the bottom of Group A.
Format
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which was earlier expected to be held in China before it was shifted to Qatar due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will see a total of 24 teams from across the Asian continent in action.
The teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each, with the top two teams slated to advance to the knockout stages. Besides, the top four third-placed teams combined of all the six groups will also advance to the knockouts.
India have been drawn in Group B for the competition alongside Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria.
Groups
Group A: Qatar, China, Tajikistan, Lebanon
Group B: Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, India
Group C: Iran, UAE, Hong Kong, Palestine
Group D: Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam
Group E: South Korea, Jordan, Malaysia, Bahrain
Group F: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Oman
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will begin on January 12 with a clash between hosts Qatar and Lebanon at the Lusail Stadium – the arena which hosted the 2022 Fifa World Cup final. The knockouts will be played from January 28 before the tournament concludes with the final at the Lusail Stadium on February 10.
India will open its campaign on the second day against Australia, before taking on Uzbekistan and Syria on January 18 and January 23 respectively.
India squad
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.
India schedule
January 13, 2024: Australia vs India (17:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 18, 2024: India vs Uzbekistan (20:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 23, 2024: Syria vs India (17:00 IST, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
The matches will be broadcast live in India on Sports 18 and streamed on Jio Cinema.