If the Indian men’s football team is to reprise former glory at the AFC Asian Cup – they were runners-up to Israel in 1964 – they will have to do it the hard way. The draw for the tournament, which will be held in Qatar in January 2024, grouped India with Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria, each of whom are ranked in the top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings.
Australia, winners in 2015 and runners-up to Japan the last time Qatar hosted the Asian Cup in 2011, are clearly the strongest side in Group B and made it to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup. Coached by Graham Arnold and featuring a clutch of players who play in the leading European leagues, Australia are ranked No.29 in the world.
Uzbekistan, semifinalists in 2011, are 74th in the rankings, and coached by the vastly experienced Srečko Katanec, who represented the former Yugoslavia and Slovenia with distinction. Syria, whose last Asian Cup victory was a memorable 2-1 upset of Saudi Arabia in 2011, are currently No.90 in the rankings. The game against them could be crucial to Indian hopes of further progress.
Back in 2019, India had started their campaign with a thrilling 4-1 demolition of Thailand, before being edged out 2-0 by the United Arab Emirates, the hosts, in their second game. If not for Bahrain scoring from a penalty in added-on time, Sunil Chhetri and company would have advanced to the last 16.
The draw will also mean a reunion of sorts for Igor Štimac, the India coach. As a young player making his way at Hajduk Split, Štimac contested two of the great rivalries in club football against teams that Katanec played for – Dinamo Zagreb and Partizan Belgrade. With Australia firm favourites to top the group, the clash of the coaches with Balkan roots could well decide who joins them in the round of 16.
The Al Bayt Stadium, which hosted the opening match of the 2022 World Cup and also a semifinal, will be the venue for Qatar-Lebanon, which will kick off the tournament on January 12. Qatar are defending champions, and Hassan Al-Haydos, who lifted the trophy in 2019, was part of the draw ceremony.
🚨AFC Asian Cup 2023 Draw Updates:
India 🇮🇳 are placed in Group B along with Syria, Uzbekistan and Australia.
How difficult will it be for India to qualify from the Group B? Share your thoughts💭.@IndianFootball @afcasiancup #AFCAsianCup2023 #IndianFootball #BackTheBlue pic.twitter.com/ityQSZt9Fp
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) May 11, 2023
History, however, is against them. Since Japan’s Blue Samurai won their third title in four attempts in 2004, no team has retained the trophy. Rank outsiders like India will take heart from Iraq, who shocked the continent by winning the Asian Cup in 2007, at a time when the country was still ravaged by war.
It’s testament to how difficult the tournament is to win that some of the continental powerhouses have not laid their hands on the trophy in decades. South Korea last won it in 1960, while Iran haven’t even reached a final since completing a hat-trick in 1976. As for the Saudis, their era of dominance ended in 1996.
The draw was attended by Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, and Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who currently heads the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Apart from Al-Haydos, the draw involved Tim Cahill – Australian football legend, and scorer of 50 goals for the national side – and Park Ji-sung, part of some of Sir Alex Ferguson’s great Manchester United teams.
Maymol Rocky, who coached the Indian women’s team, Uzbekistan’s Server Djeparov, China’s Sun Wen and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita, a fourth official in several games at the 2022 World Cup, were also present on stage, alongside Datuk Seri Windsor John, the Secretary General of the AFC.
India are one of only 13 teams to have finished in the top two at an Asian Cup – there was no final till the 1972 edition. Japan lead the way with four wins, and given the wealth of talent that they and South Korea have playing with the world’s best club sides, it will be quite a surprise if the trophy doesn’t return to East Asia for the first time since 2011.
