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The Indian men's national team successfully qualified for the second consecutive time for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 last year and now will hope for a favorable draw in the continental tournament. The event will take place at the Katara Opera House in Doha on May 11.
This will be India's fifth appearance in the showpiece event, having previously participated on four occasions in 1964, 1984, 2011, and 2019.
The Indian football fans can still vividly recall the excitement and elation of their the Blue Tigers' impressive 4-1 victory against Thailand four years ago. But the joy of that moment was short-lived, as India failed to replicate their success in the following matches.
Back-to-back defeats against the hosts UAE and Bahrain dashed their hopes of progressing further in the Asian Cup 2019.
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The Blue Tigers have shown some form in the recently concluded FIFA international window, registering convincing victories over Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan in the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament.
They will now quickly shift their focus to the Hero Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship 2023 in June and July.
Draw seedings for the AFC Asian Cup 2023
For the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2023, the participating teams have been split into four pots, with a total of 24 teams competing in the tournament. These teams will be placed into six groups, each consisting of four teams.
India have been placed in Pot 4, while the tournament hosts and defending champions, Qatar, have been seeded in Pot 1. Qatar will be the first team to be drawn into Group A, with the remaining teams being drawn randomly across all the groups (A-F).
Draw Seedings:
Pot 1: Qatar, Japan, IR Iran, Korea Republic, Australia, Saudi Arabia.
Pot 2: Iraq, UAE, Oman, Uzbekistan, China PR, Jordan.
Pot 3: Bahrain, Syria, Palestine, Vietnam, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon.
Pot 4: India, Tajikistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia.
India's best possible draw at the AFC Asian Cup 2023
Going by the current FIFA rankings, Qatar (61), Jordan (84), and Lebanon (99) would be the ideal draw for India. However, in no situation will the Blue Tigers have an easy path into the knockout stages, and will need to be at their very best.
When and where to watch the AFC Asian Cup 2023 draw
The AFC Asian Cup Draw is set to take place in Doha, on Thursday, May 11 at 4.30 pm IST. The event will be streamed live on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube channel.
