The 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup kicked off on Friday, January 12 as hosts Qatar defeated Lebanon 3-0 in Lusail.
India, drawn in Group B, will begin their campaign on Saturday as they take on Australia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. The Socceroos are heavy favourites to win this match, and India will have to be at their best to come away with a result.
The other two teams in Group B are Uzbekistan and Syria, who are also a good deal straonger than the Blue Tigers. Here, The Sporting News examines the FIFA rankings of each team and how India stack up against them.
AFC Asian Cup 2023: What is the FIFA ranking of India's opponents?
As per the FIFA rankings, the toughest opponent for India in this group is likely to be Australia. India are ranked No 102 in the world and No 18 in Asia. Australia are No 25 in the world and No 4 in Asia, and have 339 ranking points more than India.
Uzbekistan are the second-highest ranked in this group, at No 68 in the world (No 9 in Asia). Syria are third, at rank No 91 (No 14 in Asia).
If the rankings are anything to go by, India are the underdogs of this group. They may be able to snatch a win over Syria, but results against Uzbekistan and in particular Australia could be extremely difficult to come by.
| Team | World Ranking | Asian Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 25 | 4 |
| Uzbekistan | 68 | 9 |
| Syria | 91 | 14 |
| India | 102 | 18 |
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AFC Asian Cup 2023: What is India's record against their opponents?
If India are looking to advance from the group, they will likely need to make history and beat Uzbekistan for the first time in their history. In 6 meetings between the sides, there have been two draws and four Uzbek wins.
Against Australia, India have played 8 times, starting in 1938. The record stands at 5-1-2 in Australia's favour, with the two Indian wins coming in 1938 and 1956.
Among the three opponents, India have the best historical record against Syria, with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in 6 games.
| Opponent | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 24 |
| Uzbekistan | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| Syria | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
What is India's best performance at the AFC Asian Cup?
India have participated in four previous editions of the AFC Asian Cup. In each of the last three tournaments in 2019, 2011, and 1984 they have exited the competitions at the group stage, finishing bottom of the group. They have won just once across these three tournaments.
The Blue Tigers' performance in their first Asian Cup appearance remains their best one so far. In 1964, the Indian team finished as runners-up in a four-nation tournament where Israel won on home turf.
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