- By Ankit Bisht
- Fri, 12 Jan 2024 12:21 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
AFC Asian Football Cup 2023: Sunil Chhetri-led Indian football team will kick-start their 2024 season with a tough face-off against higher-ranked Australia in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar on Saturday, January 13.
India are placed in Group B in the tournament alongside Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria. Blue Tigers are the lowest-ranked side in their group but they lifted two titles - Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship - last year outclassing better-ranked sides.
Before taking on Qatar in November last year in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, India remained unbeaten for the entire year on their home turf.
However, India head coach Igor Stimac made it clear after a 3-0 defeat against Qatar last year that the AFC Asian Cup is not their priority as they did not get much time to prepare for the tournament. He also cited the lack of support from Indian Super League clubs and criticised them for not supporting the national team.
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Despite all, India named a strong 26-member squad for Asia's premier football tournament and remain upbeat for the challenging campaign.
AFC Asia Cup 2023 Format
24 Asian teams are participating in the AFC Asian Cup 2024 and are divided into six groups with four teams each. Top two teams from each group after facing each other will advance to the knockout stages. Apart from that, top four third-placed teams across six groups will qualify for the next round.
The tournament is being played in Qatar after it was moved out of China due to COVID-19.
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Groups
Group A: Qatar, China, Tajikistan, Lebanon
Group B: Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, India
Group C: Iran, UAE, Hong Kong, Palestine
Group D: Japan, Indonesia, Iraq, Vietnam
Group E: South Korea, Jordan, Malaysia, Bahrain
Group F: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Oman
India Schedule for AFC Asian Cup 2023
India will open their campaign against Australia at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar on Saturday, January 13 while the tournament will kick off with a clash between defending champions Qatar and Lebanon at the Lusail Stadium on Friday, January 12.
India will next take on Uzbekistan and Syria on January 18 and 23 respectively.
The knockout stage of the tournament will be played from January 28 and the summit clash will be held at Lusail Stadium on February 10.
January 13, 2024: Australia vs India (17:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 18, 2024: India vs Uzbekistan (20:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)
January 23, 2024: Syria vs India (17:00 IST, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Live Streaming in India
The Sports18 Network will broadcast India's matches live in the country. JioCinema will live-stream the tournament on its mobile app and website.
India squad for AFC Asian Cup 2023
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.