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The much anticipated AFC Asian Cup 2023 draw took place at the Opera House in Doha, Qatar on Thursday, May 11. India, who were placed in Pot 4, are placed in Group B and will face Australia, Syria, and Uzbekistan.
The Blue Tigers were knocked out of the group stage in a demoralizing fashion in 2019 but will look to bounce back and go one step further this time around.
India have picked up momentum in the past year and the progress was visible during the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament, where they defeated Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic. As a result, they jumped five places in the recently released FIFA rankings (101).
Moreover, with the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship on the horizon, India are primed to build momentum before the AFC Asian Cup kicks off.
However, Igor Stimac’s men have a formidable challenge in front of them. On that note, let’s take a comprehensive look at the Blue Tiger’s opponents in the tournament.
Australia
Australia will certainly be a massive test for the Blue Tigers. The Socceroos had an outstanding 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they qualified for the round of 16 ahead of Denmark and Tunisia.
They were ultimately knocked out of the tournament by eventual champions Argentina. In terms of the AFC Asian Cup, the country were crowned as the champions in 2015, while they also finished as the runner-up in 2011.
They are ranked 29th in the FIFA rankings and have performed impressively under the leadership of Graham Arnold. India last faced Australia during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, with the game ending 4-0 in the Soccceroos’ favor.
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan had a difficult run in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers as they finished runner-up to Saudi Arabia in the second round. They, however, topped Group C in the third round of the qualifiers, convincingly beating Thailand, Maldives, and Sri Lanka to cement a place in the competition.
The country are ranked 74th in the FIFA rankings and last faced India back in 2001 during the Merdeka tournament. Uzbeksitan are unbeaten against the Blue Tigers in previous the six meetings.
They are one of the most successful teams in Central Asia and have qualified for every tournament since 1996. They finished fourth in the 2011 edition but were knocked out of the quarter-finals last time out.
Syria
Syria are ranked 90th in the recently released FIFA rankings. They had a successful AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, finishing as the winners of Group A in the second round, securing a direct qualification to the tournament.
This is the country’s seventh appearance in the competition, but they have never advanced past the group stages. India last faced Syria in 2019, with the game ending in a 1-1 stalemate.
