The India U23 side is all set to begin their campaign in the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifying round from October 25. India will play their first match against Oman at the Fujairah Stadium, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
After winning the SAFF Championship with the senior side, Croatian coach Igor Stimac now has a tough task at hand with junior India boys as they go up against some of the top Asian teams. India are clubbed in Group E alongside Oman, Kyrgyz Republic and hosts UAE.
India does not boast of a very good record at the AFC U23 Asian Cup. In fact, they have never managed to go past the qualifying group stage and make it to the main tournament in the brief history of the competition. The tournament was started in January 2014 and so far, four editions of the competition have been held.
India's best-ever performance in the qualifying round of the AFC U23 Championship was in the inaugural edition of the competition where they secured seven points in the five games and had scored 11 goals in the tournament. In the 2016 and 2020 qualification rounds, India failed to secure any points. And in 2016, the Blue Tigers did not score a single goal in the group matches.
Stimac recently announced the final 23-man India squad for the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualfiiers. The manager has named five players - Dheeraj Singh, Suresh Singh, Apuia, Jeakson Singh, Rahim Ali - from the SAFF Championship winning senior team.
