India Football Team is set to face China as the draw was revealed for the 2023 Asian Games along with the entire football schedule
The day when it was confirmed that Indian football teams for men and women will compete in the upcoming Asian Games in 2023 in China, was the best day for Indian Football fans. The joyful news was confirmed by sports minister Anurag Thakur.
Asian Games 2023 India football team match schedule, date, draw, groups, teams list and format
Igor Stimac, the head coach of the national team, and the All India Football Federation both filed appeals against the Indian Olympic Association’s decision not to send the teams, which was apparently based on this sports ministry directive.
Anurag Thakur, the sports minister, tweeted on Wednesday that they had received a waiver from this strict requirement because of their recent performances. India has gained two spots in the FIFA world rankings to enter the top 100 over the past two months as a result of winning the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship.
Good news for Indian football lovers!
Our national football teams, both Menโs and Womenโs, are set to participate in the upcoming Asian Games.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, has decided to relax the rules to facilitate participation of both theโฆ
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) July 26, 2023
When is the tournament?
While the official Asian Games will begin on September 23, the football competition will begin on September 19. The penultimate day of the Games, October 7, is when the championship will take place.
Asian Games 2023 Football draw
Men’s and women’s football group stage draws for the 2022 Asian Games took place in China on July 27. The women’s squad is in Group B with Chinese Taipei and Thailand, while the men’s team is placed in Group A with China, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
#19แดสแด๊ฑษชแดษดษขแดแดแด๊ฑ Draw Results ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฝ
แดแดษดโ๊ฑ ษขสแดแดแด แด
China PR
Bangladesh
Myanmar
Indiaแดกแดแดแดษดโ๊ฑ ษขสแดแดแด ส
Chinese Taipei
Thailand
India #IndianFootball โฝ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/HmVa1Q98zV— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 27, 2023
On paper, the men’s group appears to be quite competitive. The highest-ranked team in the group, China, is currently ranked 80th in the world (as opposed to India’s 99), with Bangladesh at 189 and Myanmar at 160 following closely after.
Asian Games 2023 men’s football group stage draw
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Vietnam | Uzbekistan | Japan | South Korea | North Korea |
| Bangladesh | Saudi Arabia | Syria | Palestine | Bahrain | Indonesia |
| Myanmar | Iran | Hong Kong | Qatar | Thailand | Kyrgyz Republic |
| India | Mongolia | Afghanistan | Kuwait | Chinese Taipei |
Asian Games 2023 women’s football group stage draw
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | Chinese Taipei | North Korea | Japan | South Korea |
| Uzbekistan | Thailand | Singapore | Vietnam | Hong Kong |
| Mongolia | India | Cambodia | Nepal | Phillipines |
| Bangladesh | Myanmar |
The football tournament will be held in Hangzhou, China between September 19 to October 7, 2023.
2023 has seen China post a string of victories, including a convincing 4-0 victory over fellow group members Myanmar. However, they had previously placed fifth in FIFA World Cup qualifying (behind Oman, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Australia). India hasn’t defeated China, however their most recent match, which took place in 2018, finished in a 0-0 draw.
Given the disparity in rankings, India would be expected to finish at least second at the Games given their positive head-to-head record against both of their opponents (their last (of two) losses to Bangladesh came in 1999 and their last (and only) loss to Myanmar in 2013).
Since this competition is taking place during a time when FIFA international competition is not in session and clubs are not required to release players, a lot will, of course, depend on the strength of the U-24 sides.
On paper, the women’s group appears to be more difficult because Thailand (world rank 44) and Chinese Taipei (world rank 37) are both ranked much higher than India (world rank 60). This would be an interesting matchup given the infrequent matches India’s women’s team has played in recent years.
It has been questioned whether India should have competed in the men’s and women’s football competitions at the Games. The Sports Ministry has a stipulation that only sports teams who are among the top 8 in Asia will be sent to the Asian Games. The men of India are ranked 18th in Asia and 99th overall, while the women are 60th overall and ranked 11th in Asia.