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The draw for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will take place at the Katara Opera House in Doha on Thursday, May 11. Indian national men's team, after securing their second-consecutive qualification for the showpiece continental event last year, will be hoping for a favorable draw.
The Blue Tigers will be making their fifth appearance in the Asian Cup, having previously participated on four occasions in 1964, 1984, 2011, and 2019.
India defeated Cambodia (2-0), Afghanistan (1-2), and Hong Kong (4-0) last year to secure a berth in the competition.
The last time Sunil Chhetri and Co. participated in the AFC competition, they kicked off their campaign with a historic 4-1 victory against Thailand in 2019. However, back-to-back defeats against the hosts UAE and Bahrain dashed their hopes of progressing further in the tournament.
India have shown some form off late and will be hoping to build on that momentum. The Blue Tigers registered convincing victories over Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan in the recently concluded 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
The upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2023 will feature 24 teams, which have been categorized into four pots. The main tournament will be structured into six groups, with each group comprising four teams.
India has been placed in Pot 4, which is the lowest seed among the participating teams. Meanwhile, the defending champions and tournament hosts Qatar have been given the top seed in Pot 1. Qatar will be the first team to be drawn into Group A, with the other teams being selected 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.
When and where to watch the AFC Asian Cup 2023 draw
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 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.
