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India await their 2019 AFC Asian Cup group opponents as the draw takes place on Friday at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The final tournament will be held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 February 2019. The Asian Cup final will have 24 teams which have been divided into four pots of six teams each. The top two pots consist of teams who has progressed to the final round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup for AFC countries. India qualified for the second round of the qualifiers after beating Nepal but finished at the bottom of their group as their World Cup qualifying ended. The Blue Tigers made it to the finals of the Asian Cup after a gap of eight years by topping their group in the third round. At the draw, the 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four teams each with the first and second placed teams moving on to the round of 16. Four best third-placed teams from the groups will also progress to the next round. At the draw in Dubai, India will be represented by skipper Sunil Chhetri.
2019 AFC Asian Cup draw at Dubai, highlights: India in Group A with hosts UAE, Thailand and Bahrain
Catch all the latest updates from the 2019 AFC Asian Cup draw as India look to be drawn in an easy group.
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India in Group A with UAE, Thailand and Bahrain
India have been placed in a tricky group with hosts UAE who are ranked 74th in the world. Thailand made it to the second round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers but have since dropped to 108 in the rankings. Bahrain round up the group.
India drawn in Group A!
Skipper Sunil Chhetri, helping with the draw, picks up India’s ball first to draw the Blue Tigers in Group A. The group also includes hosts UAE, who are ranked 74th in the latest FIFA rankings. Also in the group are 116th ranked Bahrain.
This is what the teams are fighting for!
Here are the four pots for the draw. India are in pot three with the top two pots being occupied by teams who made it to the second round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
