What India needs to do to get to the 2019 Asian Cup
India have had a disastrous campaign in the joint Qualification campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 Asian Cup after they lost all their matches so far. The World Cup in Russia is out of reach for the side since they only have three games left to play and only the group winners are guaranteed a position in the next round of Qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup while the four best second-placed teams in all the groups will join the group winners in that stage of that qualifiers.
Making it to the 2018 World Cup in Russia was going to be a big ask for the team as they were drawn with Iran and Oman with only one team guaranteed direct qualification. Guam and Turkmenistan completed the group which was one of the most difficult ones in the draw.
The National team next take on Guam at home in the qualifiers as they look to fight for a place in the Asian Cup qualifying third round.
After five game weeks, the group looks as follows:
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oman | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 11 |
| Iran | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +9 | 8 |
| Turkmenistan | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 7 |
| Guam | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | -5 | 7 |
| India | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | -9 | 0 |
The table paints a bleak picture for the future of India in the competition and what lies ahead is extremely difficult but not impossible. India have lost to Oman and Iran at home and Guam, Turkmenistan and Oman away. They are still to host Guam and Turkmenistan while they will travel to Iran for arguably their toughest tie in the group.
India will have to win all their remaining matches and hope for favourable results elsewhere to have a chance of qualifying for the third round qualifier directly rather than going through the playoffs for an Asian Cup spot.
Looking ahead to qualifying for the 2019 Asian Cup
Even though India missed their trip to Russia, they will be aiming to book a place in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup after missing out on the 2015 edition. As far as the Asian Cup is concerned, India have a chance to qualify for the third round of the tournament directly without having to participate in the playoffs.
If we assume Iran and Oman end up as the top two in the group, that leaves two spots for the remaining three teams, with the third team getting direct qualification into the qualification round. The four best fourth-placed teams will qualify for the qualification round with the rest having to play in the playoffs.
The fight for the third place is between Turkmenistan and Guam, who have already accumulated seven points each.
| India | Guam(h) | Iran(a) | Turkmenistan(h) |
| Turkmenistan | Iran(a) | Oman(h) | India(a) |
| Guam | India(a) | Iran(h) | Oman(a) |
India are yet to play Guam and Turkmenistan at home, which ideally should be six points in the bag. If they are able to pull off an unlikely win over the mighty Iran, they will accumulate nine points.
If Guam and Turkmenistan both pick up a single win from their remaining three fixtures or manage three points somehow, which is the most probable scenario right now, then it is the tedious playoffs for India to try and wrestle a place in the 2019 Asian Cup.