Team India during practice session
Indian men's football team made it to the Asian Cup on Tuesday. They qualified after Palestine defeated the Philippines 4-0 in a group B match.
It is the first time India has qualified for the Asian Cup in two successive editions. They had made a group league exit in 2019.
- How many teams were there in the tournament in the qualification third round?
There were 24 teams in the qualification third round that were divided into six groups of four each.
- Did India host any match?
The matches of each group were played across different venues with India hosting the group D games.
- How did the teams qualify for the Asian Cup?
All the group winners and the five best second-place finishers across the six groups qualified for the Asian Cup.
- What is the current situation?
Hong Kong leads group D ahead of India on goal difference. Both teams cross swords in their final round clash later in the day.
Afghanistan and Cambodia, who are yet to win a single match are already eliminated and will face each other in the other Group D match.
- What if India loses to Hong Kong?
Even if India loses to Hong Kong, they will still have more points than Group B runners-up Philippines. They will thus make cut to the Asian Cup as one of the best five runners-up teams.
- India's journey so far:
In their group opener, India rode on captain Sunil Chhetri's brace to blank Cambodia 2-0, while they secured a last-gasp 2-1 win over Afghanistan in their second match.
India qualified for the fifth time - 1964, 1984, 2011, 2019, and now for 2023.
(Inputs from PTI)
