Indian men’s football team to play CAFA Nations Cup

New Delhi: India’s senior men’s national team, as part of their preparation for the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round, will participate in the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup 2025, scheduled to be held from August 31 to September 8.

Central Asian Football Association has invited India to take part in the tournament after Malaysia withdrew from the tournament, which is outside the official FIFA calendar, due to logistical challenges and the unavailability of players.

India have been drafted into the biennial Central Asian tournament, jointly hosted by Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and have been placed in Group B, which will be played in Dushanbe. India will play hosts Tajikistan on August 29), Iran on September 1) and Afghanistan on September 4.

The top two teams from each group will progress to the play-off stage, which will see two matches being played on September 8. The third-place match will be played between the two group runners-up in Dushanbe, while the two group winners will play the final in Tashkent.

Group A will be hosted by Uzbekistan, who are drawn alongside Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Oman in Tashkent. IANS

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