The Indian men’s football team created history last week when they qualified for the AFC U20 Asian Cup for the first time in 20 years. The Blue Colts accomplished this on Sunday, after beating their eastern neighbours Bangladesh 3-0 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
This result allowed India to end the group stage of the qualifying tournament in second place, one spot below their hosts Uzbekistan. Mahesh Gawali’s men secured six points from four games thanks to victories over Syria and Bangladesh.
Syria came third with three points in three matches, while Bangladesh ended the tournament with none to their name. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, won all the matches they played and qualified automatically for the 2027 Asian Cup, which will be held in China from March 24 to April 12 next year.
Gawali’s men had begun their qualification campaign with a comfortable 1-0 victory over Syria, before falling to a heavy 0-4 loss to the home team. Coming into the Bangladesh clash with their fate in their own hands, the Blue Colts rose to the occasion and delivered when it mattered the most.
India have now made it to the prestigious continental tournament for the first time since 2006, when it was hosted by them. The top four sides of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup (apart from Uzbekistan) will qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan the same year.
