The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is all set to host the third-round qualifiers of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) accepted India’s bid. The six nations that will be hosting the qualifiers for the quadrennial showpiece event are India, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan. China will host the main tournament in June 2023.

“We had bid to host the third round qualifiers of the AFC Asian Cup and are grateful to the Asian Football Confederation for accepting our bid,” AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said. “We understand that playing at home, and that too in Kolkata will be an added advantage to the Blue Tigers in our quest to qualify for the Asian Cup,” he added.

While 13 teams, including host China PR, have already qualified based on their earlier performances in the second round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers, the final 11 places remain up for grabs for 24 teams in the decisive Group Stage which will be held in June across all five AFC zones in six host nations.

The AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Qualifiers Final Round will be played across three match days on June 8, 11, and 14, 2022. The group winners and the best 5 second-placed teams will earn a ticket to the Asian Cup in China which is slated to kick off on June 16, 2023. The draw for the final leg of the qualifiers is scheduled for February 24. India will host the games at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Hope fans will be able to witness live action: Kushal Das

While it has been hard for sports authorities to allow fans at stadiums with COVID-19 still persistent, Kushal Das hoped fans will be back to witness live action in June. He also thanked the state association for always being supportive.

“We had bid with Kolkata as the venue for the qualifiers. The infrastructure in Kolkata is exceptionally suited to host the qualifiers with the stadium, the practice venues and official accommodation all very closely located. The support from the host association, and the state government has also always been exemplary. We hope that the health parameters in June will allow fans to witness live action in the stadium,” he added.

Notably, India was also a part of the last Asian Cup but failed to reach the knockout stage despite a fine victory over Thailand in their tournament opener.