Kuala Lumpur, Feb 24 (IANS): The Indian men's football team will have to contend with Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia in its bid to qualify for next year's AFC Asian Cup in China.
India, who are ranked 104th in FIFA Rankings, have drawn lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong (148), Afghanistan (150) and Cambodia (171) in the draw for the final qualifying round conducted virtually in the Malaysian capital on Thursday.
In the final round qualifiers, 24 teams have been divided into six groups of four each. India will host the Group D matches at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata with matches being played on June 8, 11 and 14, 2022.
The six group winners and five best second-placed teams will join hosts China PR, Australia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea Republic, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam in the Finals, which will start in China on June 16, 2023, the Asian Football Confederation informed in a release on Thursday.
The groupings:
Group A: Jordan, Kuwait (H), Indonesia, Nepal
Group B: Palestine, Philippines, Yemen, Mongolia (H)
Group C: Uzbekistan (H), Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka
Group D: India (H), Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Cambodia
Group E: Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Malaysia (H), Bangladesh
Group F: Kyrgyz Republic (H), Tajikistan, Myanmar, Singapore