AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers: India drawn in Group C

India have been drawn with Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangladesh in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, starting in March 2025.

India, who have been winless in 2024 after playing 11 matches, will face Bangladesh in the opening game of the qualifiers at home on March 25. The venue will be decided later.

India are the highest-ranked side in the group at 127, while Hong Kong are placed at the 156th spot, Singapore are at 161 and Bangladesh are at 185.

The Indian team, coached by Manolo Marquez, will begin their preparations for the qualifiers on March 14 after the conclusion of the Indian Super League (ISL) league stage.

India last played Bangladesh in 2021 at the SAFF Championship in Nepal, where the two sides played out a 1-1 draw.

India played Hong Kong in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers, where the Blue Tigers beat them 4-0 in Kolkata. India last faced Singapore in an international friendly in 2022 where the two sides settled for a 1-1 draw.

There are a total of six groups of four teams each in the third round of qualifiers. They will play each other in a round-robin format over two legs, home and away.

The winners of each group will qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 in Saudi Arabia.