India hopes to clinch maiden AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification
India hopes to clinch maiden AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification
The Indian men’s Under-23 team will take on Bahrain in its AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers Group H opener on Wednesday, at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, at 8:45 pm IST.
The Blue Colts, led by head coach Naushad Moosa, are aiming to qualify for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup for the first time ever. In the previous six attempts, India has not made it past the Qualifiers, so Moosa and his youngsters will be gunning to create history in the Qatari capital.
Host Qatar and Brunei Darussalam are the other two teams in Group H. The group winner and the four best runners-up across all 11 groups will qualify for the final tournament, to be held in January 2026, in Saudi Arabia.
In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Moosa said, “I don’t think any team is ‘big’. It’s important to respect every opponent. As far as Bahrain are concerned, we have watched two or three of their matches to prepare. We know Qatar are a very strong side. They play tomorrow, so I’ll get some analysis from that game.”
The Blue Colts have had two separate camps in the lead-up to the qualifiers. In June, they played two friendly games against Tajikistan (2-3 defeat) and Kygryz Republic (0-0 draw) in Tajikistan. They had a 20-day camp at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru in August. In the last week of August, the India U23s travelled to Malaysia to play two closed-door friendly games against Iraq, where they lost 1-2 and 1-3, respectively.
Captain and centre-back Bikash Yumnam, who accompanied the coach in the press conference, said, “The first match is very important to build confidence and get points. We’ve been preparing for the last three weeks, and now the boys are ready for the Qualifiers. Every day, we give 100 per cent, and we’re really looking forward to making a mark here.”
Published on Sep 02, 2025
