AFC Asian Cup: India face Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Cambodia in final qualifiers

Kuala Lumpur: The Indian men's football team will have to contend with Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia in its bid to qualify for next year's AFC Asian Cup in China.

India, who are ranked 104th in FIFA Rankings, have drawn lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong (148), Afghanistan (150) and Cambodia (171) in the draw for the final qualifying round conducted virtually in the Malaysian capital on Thursday.

In the final round qualifiers, 24 teams have been divided into six groups of four each. India will host the Group D matches at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata with matches being played on June 8, 11 and 14, 2022.

The six group winners and five best second-placed teams will join hosts China PR, Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea Republic, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam in the Finals, which will start in China on June 16, 2023, the Asian Football Confederation informed in a release on Thursday.

"Draws can always be good or bad. But we need to do our job," head coach Igor Stimac said after the draw. Commenting about the teams in the group, Stimac urged everyone to "take it seriously to get the job done."

"Afghanistan have always been a difficult opponent. They come with players who have experience playing in international leagues.

"Hong Kong will also be strengthened with their three players from Brazil, maybe one each from the UK, and New Zealand join them, along with a host of others who play abroad. But we need to justify our position as a pot 1 team," the head coach said.

"We are playing at home, and hopefully with the fans cheering us from the stands, the players will be extra motivated."

Stimac plans to start preparatory camp in Kolkata from first the week of May but at least half a dozen players from ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC will be busy with their AFC Champions League commitment and will only join after May 25 and 29 respectively.

"There are almost 12 or more players from both the clubs who are part of the national team." During that time, Stimac will check on the other players.

"In such a situation, we need to check on other players, prepare them and wait for the others to join. The situation is very similar to March prior to the friendlies," he added.

The Blue Tigers are playing Bahrain and Belarus on March 23 and 26 respectively in two international friendlies.

Fixtures: June 8: India vs Cambodia June 11: Afghanistan vs India June 14: India vs Hong Kong.

The groups: Group A: Jordan, Kuwait (H), Indonesia, Nepal. Group B: Palestine, Philippines, Yemen, Mongolia (H). Group C: Uzbekistan (H), Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka. Group D: India (H), Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Cambodia. Group E: Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Malaysia (H), Bangladesh. Group F: Kyrgyz Republic (H), Tajikistan, Myanmar, Singapore.