AFC Asian Cup 2023: The AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial football extravaganza, is about to be underway for its 18th edition. Originally planned for 2023, the tournament got postponed to 2024 due to worries about high summer temperatures and Qatar's participation in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. After successfully hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar fancy their chances to defend their AFC Asian Cup title on home soil. The tournament kicks off with the opening match on January 12 (Friday), featuring hosts Qatar against Lebanon at Lusail Stadium.
The Sunil Chhetri-led Indian football team are set to commence the year 2024 with their match against the higher-ranked Australia in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 on January 13 (Saturday). In the tournament, India find themselves placed in Group B alongside Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria. Despite being the lowest-ranked team in their group, the Blue Tigers demonstrated their prowess by clinching two titles – the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship – last year, outperforming teams with higher rankings.
Leading up to the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers match against Qatar in November last year, India maintained an unbeaten record throughout the year when playing on their home turf. However, India's head coach, Igor Stimac, emphasized that the AFC Asian Cup is not their top priority, attributing it to limited preparation time. He also criticized Indian Super League clubs for not providing sufficient support to the national team. Nevertheless, India have named a strong 26-member squad for Asia's premier football tournament and look to put on a strong show in the upcoming challenging campaign.
Regarding the AFC Asian Cup 2023 format, the tournament features 24 Asian teams organized into six groups, each consisting of four teams. After facing each other in the group stage, the top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stages. Additionally, the top four third-placed teams across all six groups will qualify for the next round.
AFC Asian Cup 2023 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
India's Schedule for AFC Asian Cup 2023:
- 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)
Knockout Stage:
The knockout stage of the tournament will commence from January 28, with the summit clash scheduled at Lusail Stadium on February 10.
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Live Streaming In India:
The Sports18 Network will broadcast India's matches live in the country. Additionally, JioCinema will live-stream the tournament on its mobile app and website.
India Squad For AFC Asian Cup 2023:
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.