 "Sunil Chhetri in action against Singapore in Goa. Image: AIFF")
India faced Singapore in a tough Group C match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers in Goa on Tuesday, October 14. The Blue Tigers showed some good moments early in the game, taking the lead through Lallianzuala Chhangte and creating a few chances. Fans were hopeful that India could get a positive result to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The first half saw India control the ball and press Singapore, but the visitors fought back with two goals from Song Uiyoung to seal the win. Uiyoung scored the equaliser right before the break, and then sent another one to the back of the net minutes after the start of the second half. After this result, India remain third in Group C with just two points from four games.
Group C standings after Matchday 4
| Rank | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 2 | Singapore | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 3 | India | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 2 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 2 |
Can India still qualify for the AFC Asian Cup 2027?
India needed to win all their remaining games to have a chance to qualify and hope that other results went their way. They also needed to get a better head-to-head record against Singapore and Hong Kong, the top two teams in the group, to keep their chances alive.
Unfortunately, the defeat against Singapore has made it impossible for India to catch up to the top teams in the group. Even winning the remaining matches would not be enough to qualify. This means India’s hopes of playing in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 are now over.
With this loss, India’s dream of securing a third consecutive qualification to the AFC Asian Cup is also in tatters. The tournament is set to be played in Saudi Arabia in January-February 2027.
Only the team that finishes at the top of the group will move to the next round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers. Meanwhile, Bangladesh have also been eliminated following their 1-1 draw against table-toppers Hong Kong earlier in the day.