India qualify for AFC Asian Cup 2023; to make first-ever successive appearances

The Indian men’s football team has qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 even before the opening whistle of their final third round qualifier match against Hong Kong on Tuesday.

This is also the first time that India have qualified for two successive editions of the Asian Cup.

India had failed to secure a continental berth in the second round of qualifiers and the third round was their final chance to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2023. 

The final qualifying round saw 24 teams vie for the 11 remaining spots. The sides were divided into six groups of four teams each with the eventual six group winners and five best runner-ups qualifying for next year’s Asian Cup.

Drawn in Group D, India, 106th in the latest FIFA rankings, beat Cambodia 2-0 in the opening match and earned a hard-fought 2-1 over Afghanistan in their second outing. 

Ahead of their final game against group toppers Hong Kong, Sunil Chhetri and Co. are placed 2nd in Group D. Both teams are on six points but Hong Kong are above India based on goal difference.

While India were already assured at least a second-placed finish in Group D even before the Hong Kong match began, whether or not Sunil Chhetri and Co. will be among the best five runner ups across six groups was the question.

However, after Palestine beat the Philippines 4-0 in Group B, which will now have the second-placed team finish with just four points, India are guaranteed to make the cut for next year’s continental showpiece irrespective of their result against Hong Kong. 

Both India and Hong Kong have won two out of two games played so far and will finish with a minimum of six points.

The 2023 edition will mark India’s fifth AFC Asian Cup appearance. India have played in the continental tournament on four occasions before - 1964, 1984, 2011 and 2019. The team’s best performance was a runners-up finish on their debut campaign in 1964.

At the last edition of the AFC Asian Cup in 2019, India made a promising start but narrowly missed out on a knockout phase spot after conceding a late penalty in their final group game against Bahrain.

The new host country for AFC Asian Cup 2023 is yet to be finalised after China gave up its hosting rights due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. The quadrennial event is scheduled to be held from June 16 to July 16, next year.