India hopes to conquer Maiden AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification

The Indian gentlemen under the 23 team takes on Bahrain in his AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers Group H Opener on Wednesday, in the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, at 8:45 PM Ist.

The Blue Colts, led by head coach Naushad Moosa, want to be eligible for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup for the first time. In the previous six attempts, India did not pass the qualifications, so Moosa and his young people will shoot to create history in the capital of Qatari.

Host Qatar and Brunei Darussalam are the other two teams in Group H. The group winner and the four best second place in all 11 groups will be eligible for the last tournament, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2026.

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During the press conference before the game on Tuesday, Moosa said: «I don’t think a team is ‘big’. It is important to respect every opponent. As far as Bahrain is concerned, we have looked at two or three of their games to prepare. We know that Qatar is a very strong side. They play tomorrow, so I’ll play tomorrow.»

The Blue Colts have had two separate camps in the run -up to the qualifications. In June they played two friendly games against Tajikistan (2-3 defeat) and Kygryz Republic (0-0 draw) in Tajikistan. They had a 20-day camp in the Padukone-Dravid Center for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru in August. In the last week of August, the India U23S traveled to Malaysia to play two closed-door-friendly matches against Iraq, where they lost 1-2 and 1-3 respectively.

Captain and Center-back Bikash Yumnam, who accompanied the coach in the press conference, said: «The first game is very important to build and get points. We have prepared ourselves in the past three weeks and now the boys are ready for the qualifications. Every day we give 100 percent and we really look forward to making a stamp here.»

Published on 02 September 2025