India were present when a dozen countries laid the foundations of the Asian Football Confederation. While they missed the first two editions of the subsequent AFC Asian Cup, they debuted in the third edition in 1964 and finished second behind hosts and winners Israel, which remains their best finish in the tournament at the time of writing. Despite their solid start, the Blue Tigers have only appeared thrice more in the competition in history; never have they snuck out of the group and joined the continent's elite into competing in the knockout stage. (Streaming | Football News)
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 will be just the fifth time India have participated in the event - the first time they have done so in back-to-back editions since the tournament's inception. Below, we take a brief tour through the ages and recap what transpired when the Blue Tigers played Asia's best previously - and what chances they possess of making it over the group stage barrier this year.
AFC Asian Cup 1964
Having withdrawn from the first-ever AFC Asian Cup in 1956, India had subsequently failed to qualify for the 1960 iteration. Four years later, they crossed over into the tournament finals for the first time, doing so after their competitors in the qualifiers had rescinded their respective participations.
Held in Israel, India competed for the top honour against the hosts, Korea Republic, and Hong Kong. Two-time Asian Games gold medallists by then, they beat Korea Republic in the first match, courtesy of K Appalraju and Inder Singh, but lost to Israel in the next match, effectively handing the home side the competition victory. While India did beat Hong Kong in their third match after coming from a goal down, Israel beat Korea Republic to claim the topmost podium. The Blue Tigers finished second, which remains their best finish in the competition.
AFC Asian Cup 1984
Leaving their golden generation behind, India failed to appear in the 1968 AFC Asian Cup and stayed away from the qualifying process until the 1984 edition in Singapore. Two decades after their previous appearance in the continental cup, India finally qualified again by finishing ahead of rivals Pakistan, Malaysia, and North Yemen in the preliminaries.
Their main tournament run, however, was far less impressive. Drawn alongside heavyweights China PR, IR Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, and hosts Singapore, India failed to win any of their four games, drew one, and lost the other three. They finished bottom of the group with a point they had achieved from a stalemate against Iran, with a goal difference of negative seven. Much to the dismay of Indian football fans, the Blue Tigers failed to score a single goal throughout the event!
AFC Asian Cup 2011
Decades elapsed as the once-promising Indian football sunk into misery, the lack of proper investment, talent production, and systemic corruption leaving the Blue Tigers battling for relevance within the South Asian landscape, far from the glories of the larger Asian football pyramid that they once seemed to be scaling with pace. It took India 27 years to reappear in the AFC Asian Cup, which they finally did in 2011 by winning the corresponding AFC Challenge Cup.
Drawn in a challenging group alongside Australia, Bahrain, and Korea Republic, India lost all their games - and by heavy margins. Australia put four past the Blue Tigers first, with the renowned Tim Cahill scoring twice; Bahrain scored five immediately after, four of which came from Ismail Abdullatif; Korea Republic, meanwhile, put the ultimate nail in the coffin with a 4-1 victory - their final scorer on the night, a young Son Heung-min.
AFC Asian Cup 2019
The eight-year wait India endured between their third and fourth AFC Asian Cup appearances was the shortest they ever had to in the competition's history, that is, until 2023. Benefitting from the tournament's expansion to 24 teams, India qualified after multiple, rigorous rounds of qualifiers, taking their place beside Thailand, Bahrain, and hosts United Arab Emirates in Group A. A third-place finish would have been enough to propel them into the knockouts, provided other results had also gone their way.
India started promisingly, recording a statement 4-1 win over Southeast Asian titans Thailand. However, a loss against the hosts in game two killed the Blue Tigers' momentum just when it seemed they had enough in their tank to push through the ceiling that had separated them from Asia's best. Needing a positive result from their third game, India battled Bahrain valiantly for 90 minutes, but conceded the only goal of the game in the 91st, losing 1-0 and exiting the tournament disparagingly.
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AFC Asian Cup 2023
Indian captain Sunil Chhetri is realistic about his team's chances in 2023. India, he believes, are still levels below their opposition, as he keenly points toward the underdog tag that has accompanied his team in Qatar. India remain below their competitors in FIFA Rankings and were thus drawn from Pot 4 in the draw that decided how the group stage would look. To that end, the "underdogs" status might not be far off the mark.
At the same time, India have progressed since their previous participation in the tournament in 2019 - even more so compared to their disastrous showing in 2011. It may not be realistic to expect the Blue Tigers to strut into the knockout stages, but it will also be selling them short to admit that they do not possess the capability to kill a giant or two.
With the third spot also potentially leading into the round-of-16, just one win might be enough to take India through - a win and a draw would all but guarantee it. Igor Stimac and Co. will be eyeing the games against Uzbekistan and Syria especially to accomplish the same, but a positive result against Australia can set the tone for their tournament even better.
