Football
India set to return to Beach Soccer Asian Cup after 18 years
The AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup will be held in Thailand in March, 2025, and India are in Group A alongside Thailand, Kuwait, and Lebanon.
Representative image. (Photo Credit: AIFF)
India was drawn against hosts Thailand, Kuwait, and Lebanon in Group A of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025.
The draw, which saw 16 teams divided into four groups of four, was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, December 19, 2024.
India will participate in the tournament after 18 years, having last featured at the 2007 Asian Beach Soccer Championship in the UAE.
The Indian national beach soccer team will be active for the first time since the 2008 Asian Beach Games in Indonesia.
The 11th edition of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup will be held from March 20 to 30, 2025, at Jomtien Beach in Pattaya, Thailand.
The 16 teams were seeded into four pots based on their final ranking from the 2023 tournament where applicable, with Thailand seeded first as the host association.
Thailand and Kuwait were quarter-finalists in the 2023 edition, while Lebanon was eliminated in the group stage.
The top two finishers from each group will move into the quarter-finals. Qualification to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is also on offer – the top three teams will fill the three berths allocated to the AFC for the 2025 edition in the Seychelles.
AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 Draw Result
Group A: Thailand, Kuwait, Lebanon, India
Group B: Japan, China PR, Saudi Arabia, Iraq
Group C: Iran, UAE, Afghanistan, Indonesia
Group D: Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Vietnam
