AFC Asian Cup 2027: India set for Thailand clash before crucial Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong
India face stern test ahead of AFC Asian Cup qualifier
Before heading to Hong Kong for their crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifier, the India national football team has stopped off in Pathum Thani to take on Thailand as part of their final preparations, and you can follow all the action in real-time with our Thailand vs India livescore tool.
These two nations are no strangers to each other, with their rivalry stretching as far back as the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, which India won 4-1. Since then, though, Thailand have emerged as the more successful team, having won 12 of the 26 matches between the sides, while India has won seven and seven ended level.
Since the appointment of Japanese tactician Masatada Ishii in December 2023, the War Elephants have risen an incredible 14 places in the FIFA World Rankings. Ishii led the team to the round of 16 at the previous Asian Cup just one month into his tenure.
Thailand will also be using this match to fine-tune their squad, as they too are leading up to an important Asian Cup clash against Turkmenistan, where they will be looking to build on their impressive victory over Sri Lanka back in March.
India, meanwhile, has left nothing to chance and began their training camp for this month’s matches in Kolkata on May 19. The Blue Tigers also played two warm-up matches against locally based opposition and won both, which would have given them some much-needed confidence coming into this tie.
India’s sights set on Asian Cup triumph over Hong Kong
Following their match against Thailand in midweek, India will jet off to the newly built Kai Tak Sports Park Main Stadium, where they will take on Hong Kong in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier on June 10, and our football predictions for the match will be available in the coming days.
The Blue Tigers are part of Group C in this competition, which also features Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore. India drew their first match of the group 0-0 against Bangladesh, while Hong Kong also played to a goalless draw in their opener against Singapore.
Notably, only the group winner will secure automatic qualification to the Asian Cup main tournament, which will be hosted in Saudi Arabia. India enter this match ranked 121st according to FIFA world rankings, while the Dragons are placed 154th.
Speaking after arriving in Thailand, India head coach Manolo Marquez said:
“We are preparing for the game against Hong Kong, and Thailand are preparing for Turkmenistan. It’s a good friendly game for both teams because we are in a similar situation (playing the Asian Cup Qualifiers).”
Team India will face off against Singapore home and away in the space of five days in October before travelling to Bangladesh in November for their penultimate qualifier. The Blue Tigers’ final match will be at home to Hong Kong on March 31, 2026.
