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| Courtesy: AIFF Media |
Top divisions league football in India has come to a halt for about a month as the country's fans now awaits the biggest continental football in Asia, the AFC Asian Cup 2023, to be played from January 12th till the 10th of February.
The 18th edition of Asia's biggest men's football tournament was initially scheduled to be hosted by China in the year 2023. However, due to the COVID pandemic related issues, the tournament host rights were given to the FIFA World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar.
Further, the tournament, which was initially scheduled to be played from the 16th June till the 16th July, had to be postponed due to high temperature in Qatar and the host country's participation in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Later, the league was scheduled to be played between 12th January till 10th February.
A total of 24 teams will take part in the tournament after the expansion in the year 2019. The hosts Qatar are the defending champions. The 24 qualifying teams were decided through the joint-qualifier for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023.
The Indian football team under the guidance of head coach Igor Stimac and leadership of Sunil Chhetri have qualified for the tournament and have been played in Group B in the tournament, probably one of the toughest draw in the competition.
The Blue Tigers have been drawn alongside the likes of Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in the AFC Asian Cup Group B. While Australia is clear favourite to top the group, intense battle is expected between the remaining three teams to finish as 2nd best in the group with Uzbekistan having the upper-hand. The top 2 teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage of the competition while four best third placed teams will also qualify.
Indian football team squad for AFC Asian Cup 2023
The Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac has announced a 26-member squad for the Asian Cup 2023.
Goalkeepers:
Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Defenders:
Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders:
Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.
Forwards:
Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.
India vs Australia
The Indian football team will commence its journey in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 on the 13th of January against Australia with the kick-off scheduled at 5 P.M Indian Standard Time (IST). The match will be played at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan.
India vs Uzbekistan
After the Aussies challenge for the Blue Tigers, the Sunil Chhetri led side will then face off against Uzbekistan on the 18th of January from 8 P.M IST. The match will be played at the same venue as the first match, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
India vs Syria
The Indian football team's last Group B match in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 will be against Syria on the 23rd of January. The match will kick-off at 5 P.M IST and will be played at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
AFC Asian Cup 2023 Live Streaming and Telecast TV channel in India
The official broadcast and live streaming of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in India will be available on Sports18 TV channel and JioCinema app for free, including the opening ceremony.
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