The AFC Asian Cup 2023 draw is set to take place on May 11 at the Katara Opera House in Doha, Qatar. The event will feature the Indian men’s football team and 23 other top footballing nations from the continent. The tournament will be hosted in Qatar next year, with proposed dates of January 12 to February 10. However, confirmation from FIFA is still pending.
The latest FIFA rankings have determined the four pots for the draw. India, ranked 101, has been placed in Pot 4, alongside Tajikistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, and Indonesia. The defending champions, Qatar, are the first team in Pot 1 and will play the opening match of the tournament. The other teams in Pot 1 are Japan, Iran, Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.
AFC Asian Cup 2023: Final draw Pots
Pot 1: Qatar, Japan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Korea Republic, Australia, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2: Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Uzbekistan, China PR, Jordan
Pot 3: Bahrain, Syria, Palestine, Vietnam, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon
Pot 4: India, Tajikistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia
During the draw, the 24 nations will be divided into six groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, as well as the four best third-place teams, will advance into the last 16 of the tournament.
India has qualified for two successive editions of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in its history. Under the coaching of Igor Stimac, the team finished as Group D winners in the third round of qualifiers. The Indian team finished runners up to Israel at the 1964 edition of the AFC Asian Cup. However, the team has not progressed beyond the group stage in the other three editions they have played in (1984, 2011, and 2019).
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Live Streaming Details
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 draw will be live-streamed in India. Fans can watch the event on the AFC’s YouTube channel and Facebook page from 4:30 PM IST onwards. Unfortunately, there will be no live telecast of the draw in India.
