What are the chances of India qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup 2023? Here's all you need to know about crucial India vs Hong Kong match.
India are bidding to make a second consecutive appearance in the AFC Asian Cup and fifth overall. They face Hong Kong in their final group match of AFC Asian Cup 2023, third round on Tuesday. The India vs Hong Kong football match will be telecast live. (More Football News)
India and Hong Kong have won both their matches so far and the winners at Salt Lake Stadium qualify for the Asian Cup finals as the group topper. As things stand now, Hong Kong lead the four-team table with six points. India also have six points, but are second thanks to their inferior goal difference.
So, Sunil Chhetri & Co will need to beat Hong Kong to top the group. India (106th) are the higher-ranked team, but Hong Kong (147th) have been brilliant so far in Kolkata. It will be a tough match for the Men in Blue.
Update: Both India and have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2023, Palestine's 4-0 win over the Philippines.
What if India fail to beat Hong Kong or settle for a draw? The simple answer is, India can still qualify for the continental tournament. In fact, India are one of the favourites to do so.
Case 1: India win, and top the group with nine points.
Case 2: India draw, and finish second with seven points on goal difference. India still have a very good chance of qualifying as one of the five best second-placed teams out of six groups.
Case 3: India lose, and finish second with six points. India still have a good chance of making the cut as one of the five best second-placed teams.
After the end of match-day 2, here's how the possible second-placed teams stand:
1. Thailand in Group C - Two wins/six points in two with a goal difference of +5;
2. Kyrgyzstan in Group F - Two wins/sin points in two with a goal difference of +3;
3. India in Group D - Two wins/six points in two with a goal difference of +5;
4. Philippines in Group B - One win and one draw/four points with a goal difference of +1;
5. Malaysia in Group E - One win/three points with a goal difference of +1;
6. Indonesia in Group A - One win/three points with a goal difference of 0.
Afghanistan and Cambodia, the other teams in the group, have already been eliminated.
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 (June 16 - July 16) will be a 24-team affair. 13 teams have already qualified - Japan, Syria, Qatar, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, China (the initial host), Iraq, Oman, Vietnam and Lebanon.
In the third-round qualifiers, 24 teams, divided into six groups, are competing. Six group winners and five best runners-up out of six qualify.
India and Hong Kong have met 15 times, and India lead the head-to-head record 7-4. But India last defeated Hong Kong in 1993. In the last three matches, India have drawn once in 2006 and lost twice in 2009 and 2010. For the record, India were unbeaten against Hong Kong in their first eight meetings, winning six of those.
Match: AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers, third-round match between India and Hong Kong;
Date: June 14 (Tuesday), 2022;
Time: 20:30 PM IST/local;
Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, India
India vs Hong Kong, AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifying match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network. Live streaming will of the match will be available on
Disney+ Hotstar.
India: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Akash Mishra, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Roshan Naorem; Sahal Abdul Samad, Ashique Kuruniyan, Suresh Wangjam; Liston Colaco, Sunil Chhetri; Manvir Singh.
Head Coach: Igor Stimac.
Hong Kong: Yapp Hung Fui; Sean Tse, Law Tsz Chan, Wong Tsz Ho, Yu Wai Lim, Huang Yang, Ju Yingzhi, Yue Tze Nam, Wai Wong; Matt Orr, Sun Ming Him. Head Coach: Jorn Andersen.