India paired with Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria in Group B of AFC Asian Cup 2023

The Blue Tigers are situated in a challenging Group with higher-ranked opponents.

The AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 final draw held at the Katara Opera House, Doha, was nothing short of a grand affair. Renowned Singapore-based football anchor John Dykes introduced the big names onto the stage.

First up was AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who gave a fitting speech ahead of the draw and presented a gift to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, the president of the Qatar Football Federation.

The event also saw the logo of this edition of the tournament being unveiled and the captain of Qatar’s 2019 Asian Cup winning team Hassan Al-Haydos returning the trophy to the AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John who would conduct the draw.

Maymol Rocky participated as draw assistant

Maymol Rocky featured among other big names as the General Secretary’s draw assistants and drew the positions of teams in Group C. The former India women’s team coach shared her excitement about the men’s side’s consecutive appearances in the tournament and highlighted the importance of performing well on this stage.

Maymol also believed that the Blue Tigers have prepared to the best of their ability and hopes the side will qualify from their group.

Igor Stimac's quotes post the ceremony

Men's National Team head coach Igor Stimac said after the draw, "We will be facing Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in the AFC Asian Cup, and it's going to be a tough battle for us. It's much tougher than four years ago, but we will be there to fight every step of the way.

"It's all about the time we have in front of us to prepare well, to obtain the work that is needed, and to be at the strongest possible point by next January," the coach added.

This is how the teams were drawn from the six pots

Group A: Qatar, China PR, 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, Malaysia, Jordan, Bahrain

Group F: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyz Republic, Oman

It was revealed that hosts Qatar will play Lebanon in the first match of the AFC Asian Cup to be held on 12th January. Following the draw, Jurgen Klinsmann, present in the crowd as head coach of South Korea, spoke about his team’s chances and the growth of Asian football.

Drawn from pot 4, India now face stiff competition in Group B in the form of Australia and Uzbekistan, who have historically been successful in the competition and Syria, who are 11 places ahead and occupy the 90th spot in the FIFA rankings. Igor Stimac must ensure the Blue Tigers have excellent preparation in the upcoming months for a good run in the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup.