India Placed in Pot 4 for AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Draw After Release of Latest FIFA World Rankings

India have been placed in Pot 4 for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Final Draw, which will take place on May 11, 2023, in Doha, Qatar, which was been confirmed following the release of the latest FIFA World Ranking.

As with the previous editions, Qatar have been allocated the first position in Pot 1 ahead of the draw to be held at the Katara Opera House to ensure that the host nation starts the tournament in the opening match scheduled for January 12, 2024.

Joining the hosts and defending champions in Pot 1 are the teams ranked from second to sixth in Asia in the latest FIFA Ranking namely, four-time winners Japan, three-time champions the Islamic Republic of Iran, two-time winners Korea Republic, 2015 champions Australia and Saudi Arabia who will be aiming to claim their fourth Continental crown.

Pot 2 comprises 2007 champions Iraq, 2019 hosts the United Arab Emirates, Oman, 2011 semi-finalist Uzbekistan, and two-time runners-up China PR and Jordan.

Meanwhile, Bahrain, Syria, Palestine, Vietnam, Kyrgyz Republic and Lebanon will take their places in Pot 3, while India, debutants Tajikistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia will complete the line-up in Pot 4.

Similar to the expanded 2019 edition in the United Arab Emirates, the 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four teams each across Groups A to F, with the top two and four best third-placed teams advancing into the final 16 of the competition before the Asian champions are crowned on February 10, 2024.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed on Wednesday, that the upcoming edition of Asia’s flagship national team competition will be held from January 12 to February 10, 2024.

Asia’s top 24 nations will compete for the most prestigious prize in Asian football and, as part of efforts to engage with more fans than ever before, the 18th edition of the tournament will maximise the advantage of playing the opening game on a Friday and the final on a weekend.

The AFC also confirmed that the eagerly anticipated showpiece will be staged across eight stadiums, six of which were venues for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, namely: Al Janoub Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium, Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium, Al Thumama Stadium, Education City Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium as well as the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.

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