AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers: Indian men’s football team handed favourable draw, full schedule

The Indian men’s football team were drawn in Group C at the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers third-round draw held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday.

So far, 18 teams have confirmed their spot, including defending champions Qatar and hosts Saudi Arabia, for the AFC Asian Cup 2027.

The AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers final round will see 24 teams compete for six spots. Each team will play home and away against the other teams in their respective groups and the winners of the six groups will make the main tournament.

India, 127th in FIFA rankings, will face Hong Kong China (156th), Singapore (161st) and Bangladesh (185th) in their group. The Indian men’s football team, coached by Manolo Marquez, will play its opening game of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against Bangladesh at home on March 25 next year.

The Blue Tigers faced Hong Kong China in the previous edition’s qualifiers as well, beating them 4-0. India have a terrific head-to-head record against Bangladesh as well and have not lost to them in a competitive match since 1999.

"We are a Pot 1 team and we need to show why we are the favourites to qualify,” Spaniard Manolo Marquez said.

“There are not too many differences between groups. Every group is difficult. Hong Kong China has improved a lot with naturalised players and with their coach Ashley Westwood, who India played against in the World Cup Qualifiers (while he was in charge of Afghanistan).

“We will play against Bangladesh first in March, who have been our regular opponents in the SAFF Championship. We know the calendar," head coach Marquez pointed out.

The AFC Asian Cup, which began with four teams in 1956, expanded to 24 teams in 2019 and the format will continue for the upcoming edition. India have qualified for the tournament five times - in 1964, 1984, 2011 2019 and 2023.

India lost all their three group matches in 2023 after failing to score a single goal. Their best result came in 1964 when India finished runners-up.

AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers: Third round teams and groups

• Group A: Tajikistan, Philippines, Maldives, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
• Group B: Lebanon, Yemen, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam
• Group C: India, Hong Kong China, Singapore, Bangladesh
• Group D: Thailand, Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka
• Group E: Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Pakistan
• Group F: Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Lao People’s Democratic Republic

AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers: India’s third-round schedule

• March 25, 2025: India vs Bangladesh (home)
• June 10, 2025: Hong Kong, China vs India (away)
• October 9, 2025: India vs Singapore (home)
• October 14, 2025: Singapore vs India (away)
• November 18, 2025: Bangladesh vs India (away)
• March 31, 2026: India vs Hong Kong China (home)