When is the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Round 3 draw?

The Blue Tigers are one of the candidates to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup.

The Indian football team’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup may be over, but the outfit can still secure a berth at the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. To reach the biggest stage of Asian football for national teams, the Blue Tigers must navigate past the third round of Asian Cup Qualifiers.

The third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers will take place from 25 March 2025 to 31 March 2026. India are one of the teams in contention after finishing third in the second round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Group A behind Qatar and Kuwait.

Date of draw

The draw for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers third round will take place on 19 December 2024. The 24 participating teams will be drawn into six groups of four and the winners from each group will advance to the AFC Asian Cup. 

The seedings will be provided based on the FIFA rankings at the time of the draw. A total of 21 teams are already confirmed for the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, including India.

Three more teams are yet to be confirmed and that will be clear after the completion of the playoffs which includes national teams such as Sri Lanka, Cambodia, East Timor, Mongolia, Brunei and Macau.

The Blue Tigers are one of the favourites to advance from the third round of the qualifiers to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Since Igor Stimac’s dismissal as the head coach of the national team, the successor to the Croatian tactician must deliver qualification to the Asian Cup.

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