India will be playing in a tough group with Australia, Syria, and Uzbekistan in the 2024 AFC Asian Cup, which will be held in Doha in January. India qualified for the tournament after a successful campaign, and this will be their fifth time participating in the competition. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the Round of 16, while the four best third-placed teams will join them to make up the numbers. India was eliminated in the group stage in the last edition in the UAE, despite starting with a convincing win against Thailand.
The tournament will have 24 teams divided into four pots, and drawn into six groups of four teams each. Qatar, as hosts, were automatically drawn in Group A and will play the tournament opener. Iran was placed in Group C, with Japan in Group D, South Korea in Group E, and Saudi Arabia in Group F. In other groups, tournament hosts and defending champions Qatar are the top seeded team in Group A with their title defence to begin against two-time runners-up China, followed by matches against Tajikistan and Lebanon.
The Indian football team has qualified for back-to-back editions of the tournament for the first time. In the last edition, they lost their last two matches after a strong start against Thailand. The top two teams from each group will directly qualify for the Round of 16, while the four best third-placed teams will join them in the knockouts to make up the numbers. The tournament will start in January, and India will need to bring their best game to compete with their tough opponents.
