The Indian men’s football team are gearing up to face the best sides from the continent at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. The tournament will begin on January 12 and will run until February 10, involving 24 nations.

Igor Stimac’s India, who are ranked 102nd in the world and 18th in Asia, will hope to make an impact in terms of qualifying for the knockout round but it will be a challenging campaign. Here’s all you need to know about India’s AFC Asian Cup campaign:

Format and matches

The teams have been divided into six groups of four teams. Each team will play the three other teams in their group once and the top two will make it to the Round of 16. The four best third-placed teams will also make it to the next round.

India’s group and matches

India are placed in Group B along with Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria.

They open their campaign against the Aussies on January 13 (5 pm IST at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium) followed by matches against the Uzbeks (8 pm IST at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium) and the Syrians on 23rd (5 pm IST at the Al Bayt Stadium).

Group A: Qatar, China, Tajikistan and Lebanon.
Group B: Australia, Uzbekistan, India and Syria.
Group C: Iran, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Palestine.
Group D: Japan, Indonesia, Iraq and Vietnam.
Group E: South Korea, Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain.
Group F: Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and Oman.

India’s squad

What to expect from India?

To keep it short, not a lot. While India’s form improved a notch in 2023 where they won three tournaments at home, beating the likes of Kuwait and Lebanon. But the quality of competition at the AFC Asian Cup is a level above that and India’s group is a tough one to crack. It will be a huge success if they can finish third and progress to the Round of 16. The bigger goal here is to put up a fight against their higher-ranked teams and not crumble under pressure.

India’s opponents

Australia – FIFA ranking 25, Asia ranking 4

The strongest team in India’s group and one of the favourites to qualify for the semifinals. Beating the Aussies is no mean feat even for the best of Asian teams. Safe to say, if India can even earn a draw against them, it would be ranked as one of their best-ever performances. However, it is a tough ask.

Uzbekistan – FIFA ranking 68, Asia ranking 9

The second-best team and top-10 in Asia. India’s Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC players have a good idea of the quality of football the Uzbeks play as they recently faced FC Nasaf and Navbahor Namangan, respectively, at the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League match. Uzbekistan will miss their star striker Eldor Shomurodov due to injury but are still good enough to qualify for the knockout round. Again, a draw against them would be a great result for India but that also seems unlikely.

Syria – FIFA ranking 91, Asia ranking 14.

Coached by the experienced Hector Cuper, Syria are without some of their key players like Mardik Mardikian, Mohammed Osman, Omar Al Soma and Mahmoud Al Mawas due to injuries and non-selection. This will present India their best chance to grab a win, but it could prove to be a herculean task. Win this match and India might sneak into the next round.

India’s key players

The obvious names here. Sunil Chhetri, captain of the team and scorer of 93 international goals. If India are netting a goal in this tournament, it is more or less coming from this man. Then there’s the centre back Sandesh Jhingan and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. India will have to do a lot of defending in the three matches and if one of the two is not at his best, India could struggle on the pitch.

Lallianzuala Chhangte has been brilliant for his club and country over the last few years. His played a vital role in India’s titles at home last year. While the Asian Cup is a different level altogether, Stimac would hope that Chhangte maintains his creative spark and also becomes a goal-scoring threat on the counter.

What are the challenges in front of Stimac?

Stimac is facing plenty of questions about the players, formation and form. Here’s a detailed article on the challenges and the answers Stimac is trying to find out – India at AFC Asian Cup: Key questions facing Igor Stimac

Who are the favourites for the trophy?

Japan are the continent’s top-ranked team and boast of quality players who ply their trade in the European leagues. They can put up solid resistance defensively while also being adept at switching gears quickly and going all out in attack. If they hit form at the right time, there’s no stopping this team.

Roberto Mancini’s Saudi Arabia are also contenders, while Tottenham Hotspurs’ star Son Heung-min will lead the mission to achieve glory for South Korea. Then there are the likes of Australia and Iran who might not be outright favourites, but are capable of winning the trophy.

Here’s a complete team-by-team guide.