The draw for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 to be held in Saudi Arabia has been concluded. A total of 24 teams were drawn and the India Football Team has been drawn in Group C. The three other teams to be a part of Group C are Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangladesh.
The much-anticipated draw was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 24 teams have been slotted in groups of 6 with each group consisting of 4 teams each. This Final Round will be the last chance for the Blue Tigers to progress into the next round of the tournament.
India’s last dash to make it to Final Stage
Only the 6 winners of the group stages will progress to the next round. They will join the previously 18 qualified teams who were at the top of their game in the second round. India will be playing a total of 6 games, 3 home and 3 away matches as India target making it to the grand stage for a third time in a row, a feat which India has never achieved before.
India will begin the group stage with a home match against Bangladesh on 25th March. While the final group stage match will be held on 31st March when India will host Hong Kong at home. In the past, India has faced all their group-stage opponents.
As things stand, India has the best chance of making it to the next stage. India is the highest-ranked team. The Blue Tigers are ranked 137th while Hong Kong is 156th, Singapore is 161st, and Bangladesh is 185th.
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“We are a Pot 1 team and we need to show why we are the favourites to qualify. There are not too many differences between groups. Every group is difficult. Hong Kong has improved a lot with naturalised players and with their coach Ashley Westwood, who India played against in the World Cup Qualifiers (while he was in charge of Afghanistan). We will play against Bangladesh first in March, who have been our regular opponents in the SAFF Championship. We know the calendar. We have six games and we need to top the group and qualify for the Asian Cup,” said India head coach Manolo Márquez.
India’s fixtures in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round:
March 25, 2025: India vs Bangladesh (home)
June 10, 2025: Hong Kong vs India (away)
October 9, 2025: India vs Singapore (home)
October 14, 2025: Singapore vs India (away)
November 18, 2025: Bangladesh vs India (away)
March 31, 2026: India vs Hong Kong (home)
AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round Full Draw Result:
Group A: Tajikistan, Philippines, Maldives, Timor-Leste
Group B: Lebanon, Yemen, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam
Group C: India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh
Group D: Thailand, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka
Group E: Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan
Group F: Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Laos
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