India was drawn into a difficult group with Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore for the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifications final round matches, which begin on March 25 of next year. The draw, which separated 24 teams into six groups of four, took place at the Asian Football Association (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Only the six group winners will go to the main competition, which will be hosted in Saudi Arabia in 2027, joining the 18 teams that have already booked their tickets during the second round of qualifying.
The final round will take place over six games in a home-and-away format from March 25, 2025, and March 31, 2026. India will face Bangladesh at home in Group C, aiming to qualify for the third time in a row.
India had the highest ranking in the group at 127 and was followed by Hong Kong (156), Singapore (161), and Bangladesh (185). However, they will not be easy opponents.
India has fought all three opponents in recent times. The Blue Tigers most recently met Albania (1-1 draw) in the 2021 SAFF Competition, and Hong Kong (India lost 4-0) in the AFC Asian Cup In the preliminary rounds.
After the draw, India head coach Manolo Marquez said, “We are a Pot 1 team and we need to show why we are the favourites to qualify. There are not too many differences between groups. Every group is difficult. “Hong Kong has improved a lot with naturalized players and with their coach Ashley Westwood.
“We will play against Bangladesh first in March, who have been our regular opponents in the SAFF Championship. We know the calendar. We have six games and we need to top the group and qualify for the Asian Cup.” India’s fixtures: March 25, 2025: India vs Bangladesh (home) June 10, 2025: Hong Kong vs India (away) October 9, 2025: India vs Singapore .