Indian Football Team Asian Games Squad to Asian Games 2023 Fixtures

The Indian Football team will kick off their Asian Games 2023 campaign on September 19, hoping to shine on its ninth return to the competition. On the same day, the men’s squad will begin their campaign against China. They have been grouped with China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The Live Streaming on Indian Football Team’s Asian Games 2023 matches will be on Sony LIV, Live Streaming will be on Sony Sport Channels.

The Blue Tigers are placed 18th in Asia, which puts them outside of the Asian Games qualification standard. However, the Sports Ministry granted both the men’s and women’s teams a special exemption to play in the Asian Games 2023. It will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8, 2023.

In men’s football, the Indian Football Team had success twice at the Asian Games, winning gold in the inaugural tournament in 1951 and again in 1962. Sunil Chhetri, India’s all-time leading goal scorer, will lead the team to the Hangzhou Games this time. They will be hoping for similar success as the Blue Tigers did over 60 years ago.

Indian football team (Men’s) schedule for Asian Games:

September 19: China vs India – (17:00 IST, Hangzhou)
September 21: India vs Bangladesh (13:30 IST, Xiaoshan)
September 24: Myanmar vs India (17:00 IST, Xiaoshan)
September 27 or 28: Men’s Round of 16
October 1: Men’s Quarter-final
October 4: Men’s Semi-final
October 7: Men’s Gold/Bronze medal match

Indian men’s team for Asian Games:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem.
Defenders: Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Narender Gahlot, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Roshan Singh, Ashish Rai.
Midfielders: Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Apuia Ralte, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Rahul KP, Naorem Mahesh Singh.
Forwards: Siva Sakthi Narayanan, Rahim Ali, Aniket Jadhav, Vikram Partap Singh, Rohit Danu, Sunil Chhetri.
Head Coach: Igor Stimac.

However, the Indian Football Team’s dreams of competing in the Asian Games 2023 are hanging by a thread. A cold conflict between the ISL and the AIFF could leave India without its stalwarts. With the Asian Games being out of the International Window, ISL teams have refused to release players with ISL starting on September 21st.

In the first game of the ISL’s tenth season, an intriguing rematch of the previous season’s semifinal will take place. Bengaluru FC will face Kerala Blasters in Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The FSDL, the league’s organisers, have revealed the first half of the ISL season schedule. The Indian men’s squad at the Asian Games consists of 22 players from ten ISL clubs.

Igor Stimac’s options are limited because clubs will not release their players for international duty. Bengaluru FC has informed the AIFF that Gurpreet Singh Sandhu will not be available for the Asian Games due to injuries to both of their backup goalkeepers.

Released ISL 2023–24 Fixtures casts doubt over India’s Asian Games campaign

Blue Tigresses, on the other hand, have already begun their preparations for the event. On September 21, the women’s team will kick off their Asian Games campaign against Chinese Taipei.

They finished ninth out of 11 teams in their previous visit at the Asiad, an outcome that they intend to forget with better results this time around. Thomas Dennerby, who led Nigeria to the FIFA Women’s World Cup round of 16 in 2015, will coach the team.