Which pot will India occupy in AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Round 3 draw?

India’s reinforced berth in the top pot sets the stage for a promising run in the upcoming Qualifiers.

The Indian football team has technically confirmed their place in Pot 1 for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers after Malaysia lost 4-0 to New Zealand in a friendly on 14th October. New Zealand, ranked 95th in FIFA’s rankings, defeated 132nd-ranked Malaysia by a 4-0 margin in a Tier 1 international friendly match at the North Harbor Stadium in Auckland.

The Blue Tigers will face the Malaysian team on the 19th of November in India. With such limited time, the Malaysia football team can’t possibly close the gap with India before the official draw of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Round 3 Qualifiers.

The journey so far

India had failed to secure a direct berth in the AFC Asian Cup 2027, competition after their disappointing finish in the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

The Indian football team is in Group A and has a golden chance to qualify for the next round. They had a promising start after defeating the Kuwait team in an away match last year. However, things had changed this year. The dream of reaching the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers ended with a disappointing home loss against Afghanistan, one controversial loss against Qatar, and two frustrating draws against Afghanistan and Kuwait.

The national team, under the direction of former coach Igor Stimac, finished in third place behind Qatar and Kuwait.

ALSO READ: What is Indian football team’s next assignment after Vietnam draw?

Draw date

According to the AFC website, the final draw for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 qualification will be held on December 9th in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 24 teams will participate in the qualifying round. There will be six groups, and the winner of each group will qualify for the competition.

Seedings will be provided based on the FIFA rankings at the time of the draw. A total of 24 teams, including India, are already confirmed for the third round of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. Brunei Darussalam, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste were deemed eligible for the qualifiers after their respective wins in the playoff round.

How the pot system will help

The pot system is advantageous for teams looking to avoid facing strong teams in their respective groups. In the current scenario, the Indian national team will not need to face top teams such as Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Lebanon, and Vietnam, who are ranked higher than the Blue Tigers but are in the same pot as them (Pot 1).

Each group will consist of one team per pot and in the case of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, every group shall have four member nations, one each from pots 1-4. As mentioned earlier, no team from the same pot shall be drawn together and hence, it makes India’s batch of opponents more favourable for the next round of qualification.

While FIFA is set to update their rankings on 24th October, this is how the pots for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers should look per their last update on 19th September. As per the same, Malaysia’s heavy loss should peg them back quite a bit. Additionally, considering India’s 1-1 draw with Vietnam, it should make sense for both the Blue Tigers and the Golden Star Warriors to rise a place or two.

According to the AFC website, the first two matches in this competition are scheduled for the 25th of March and the 10th of June, 2025.

AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Round 3 Qualified Teams

• Bhutan
• Maldives
• Laos
• Afghanistan
• Malaysia
• Syria
• Bangladesh
• Myanmar
• Tajikistan
• Chinese Taipei
• Nepal
• Thailand
• Hong Kong
• Pakistan
• Turkmenistan
• India
• Philippines
• Vietnam
• Lebanon
• Singapore
• Yemen
• Brunei
• Timor-Leste
• Sri Lanka

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