AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers: India in Group C with Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh
AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers: India in Group C with Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh
India was grouped with Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangladesh in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, starting in March.
Manolo Marquez’s men will begin preparations for the qualifiers on March 14, at the end of the Indian Super League (ISL) league stage.
India, who finished 2024 without a win in 11 outings, will play its opening game of the qualifiers against Bangladesh at home on March 25 next year.
India is the higher-ranked side in the group at 127, while Hong Kong is 29 places below at 156, Singapore at 161 and Bangladesh at 185.
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India played Hong Kong in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers too, where it beat it 4-0 in Kolkata. The Blue Tigers’ last meeting was in 2022 in a friendly, when an Ashqiue Kuruniyan’s goal salvaged a 1-1 draw in Vietnam.
India took on Bangladesh in 2021 in the SAFF group stages, where it was held to a 1-1 draw in Nepal.
The third round of qualifiers will have six groups of four teams each. They will play each other in a round-robin format over two legs, home and away. The winners of each group will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia.
