Indian Football Team Rival Watch: Hong Kong

India and Hong Kong face each other on the 10th of June 2025

The Indian Football team will be resuming their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers campaign when they travel to Kowloon to face a challenging Hong Kong side on Tuesday (10 June 2025). After having been held to a 0-0 draw by Bangladesh in their opening clash, the Blue Tigers desperately need a big win to recharge their qualifiers campaign and move towards the top spot in the group.

With that being said, this Hong Kong side are no pushover and will themselves be looking to take the fight to Manolo Marquez’s side. With Ashley Westwood, someone with an acute knowledge of how Indian football works, at their helm, the Hong Kong side will be going toe-to-toe with India and look to get a big win to recharge their own campaign. Here, we look at what can be expected from the Hong Kong side in the upcoming clash.

About the Team

The Hong Kong national football team have been playing since the 1940s, before becoming an official member of FIFA in 1954. Over the decades, they have had quite a lot of ups and downs, managing some impressive achievements in their history as well.

The Hong Kong side has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup edition, but has participated in the AFC Asian Cup on four occasions. Their best finish in the AFC Asian Cup was in 1966, when they were the hosts of the tournament and finished in third place. They also finished in fourth place in the 1964 and fifth in the 1968 editions.

The Hong Kong side have qualified for the Asian Games on five occasions, even reaching the quarterfinals. They finished in fourth place on five occasions in the East Asian Football Championship, and finished in third place in the 1974 Merdeka Tournament too. Hong Kong have won some minor tournaments like the 2024 Tri-Nation Series and 2011 Long Teng Cup, and currently sit in 153rd place in the FIFA World Rankings.

Recent Performances

Hong Kong have made admirable progress in their performances since Ashley Westwood took over the team in late August, 2024. He has had them compete in way more competitive matches, with Hong Kong having won seven out of their last 10 competitive matches under him.

They recently faced Manchester United in a non-official friendly game. Hong Kong actually took the lead in the game before going down to a 3-1 loss. In their last three games, they have managed two draws.

That included a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Singapore in their first AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier clash, showcasing a lot of grit and stubbornness to keep the clean sheet. Hong Kong’s most recent game saw them play out a 0-0 draw against Nepal ahead of the qualifier against India.  

The Coach

Ashley Westwood is a figure who is well-known by many Indian Football fans. That is because of the Englishman’s coaching history in India over the last decade or so. Westwood played for the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Wrexham in his playing career, which he retired from in 2012.

The 48-year-old really got his major breakthrough as a coach as the Bengaluru FC head coach from 2013-2016. During that period, he transformed the newly created side into one of the top football clubs in Indian football. He helped them win two I-League titles in the space of three seasons, making them play some clinical football and also won two FPAI Best Coach of the Season awards.

The Englishman worked as a sporting director and caretaker manager for ATK for a bit in the 2017-18 season. He returned to Indian football in 2021, taking charge of the Roundglass Punjab FC side for the 2021-22 I-League campaign. Westwood also had a stint as the Afghanistan national team coach for a year from 2023-2024, before taking up the Hong Kong job last year.

The 48-year-old has done a pretty admirable job in making the Hong Kong side a sturdier, resilient team in his short period. In the 10 matches under them, Hong Kong have won seven games and only suffered one loss. They have averaged 2.20 points per match under Westwood, scoring 19 goals and only conceding three goals!

The English gaffer has shown a reliance on playing a very interesting 4-4-2 formation with Hong Kong, where one centre-back acts like a ‘sweeper’ and his midfield is in a diamond shape. This allows more defensive stability to his side, as it allows multiple players to box out opposition individuals and has allowed them to be more menacing when moving forward on counterattacks.

Players to Watch

Matt Orr

Matt Orr has been a reliable figure for the Hong Kong national side over the last few years and maintained a pretty impressive goal record with them, too. He has scored nine goals in 37 appearances for his national team and has found a lot of comfort within Westwood’s system.

As he gets to play with another forward in the attacking line, it gives the 28-year-old more freedom to roam around the attacking areas and drag defenders out of position. He will look to be a menacing figure for India with his smart off-the-ball movement and ability to pop up in the right areas inside the box. Orr will be looking to read his side’s attacking patterns perfectly to get into the best positions and raise their goal threat against India.

Hung-Fai Yapp

The 35-year-old goalkeeper is still going strong at his age and has amassed a lot of experience at the international stage for his national team. Yapp remains the undisputed No. 1 goalkeeper for the Hong Kong side and will play a crucial role for them to get a result against India. He has impressed under Westwood so far, having kept four clean sheets in his last five games.

The 35-year-old is an impressive shot stopper who can read the opposition’s moves perfectly and use his fast reflexes to keep out dangerous shots. He will need to be at his sharpest to frustrate the Indian side and fend off whatever the Blue Tigers are to throw at his goal. If Yapp can be consistent with his saves and cross collection, he can turn the tide of the game for his side and give them an extra motivation to get a win over India.

What to Expect

India might’ve won eight of their 16 matches against Hong Kong in the past, but this clash will be no walkover for them. Ashley Westwood has transformed his side into a well-oiled machine, who have shown a capability of frustrating opponents with their tight defensive shape and proactive nature in matches. Hong Kong will be more than happy to defend deep to frustrate the Blue Tigers and close down all the spaces for them.

Hong Kong can also be expected to be a menacing threat in set-pieces or on counter-attacks because of their variety of bodies in midfield. They will not be willing to sit back and just sustain pressure, but also look to regain possession in key areas and burst forward in numbers.

Considering how Westwood knows the strengths and weakness of these Indian football team players, he will ensure that his side gives a tough fight to India, who need to be at their clinical best to get a win.

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