India qualifies for third-place playoff at CAFA Nations Cup

India qualifies for third-place playoff at CAFA Nations Cup

India qualified for the third-place playoff match after being held to a stalemate by Afghanistan in its last Group B encounter in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor, Tajikistan on Thursday.

The Blue Tigers had to wait for the second match of the day between IR Iran and Tajikistan, which ended in a 2-2 draw, to learn their fate.

Khalid Jamil’s men finished the group in second place with four points (a win, a loss, and a draw), while Iran topped Group B with seven points from three matches each. Host Tajikistan, on four points, and Afghanistan, on one point, were knocked out of the tournament.

India finished ahead of Tajikistan by virtue of a better head-to-head record after beating it 2-1 in the first match. The Blue Tigers will now play the third-place match at the same venue on September 8.

They will face the team that finishes second in Group A. As it stands, Oman and Uzbekistan are locked on four points apiece, occupying the top two spots in the group; both have the same goal difference (+1), and have scored the same number of goals in their two matches (3).

Turkmenistan and Kyrgyz Republic are third and fourth, respectively, with a point apiece. Oman plays Turkmenistan, while Uzbekistan faces Kyrgyz Republic on the last matchday of Group A, on Friday, September 5; both matches will be played in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Published on Sep 04, 2025