Explained: Can Sunil Chhetri-Led India Still Qualify For AFC Asian Cup 2023 Knockout Stage After Loss To Australia? Check Qualification Scenario

Even after suffering a 0-2 loss against Australia in AFC Asian Cup, the Blue Tigers can qualify for the Round of 16. Check the permutations and combinations attached to the qualification.

India lost their first match of the group stage in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar to Australia on Saturday. The Blue Tigers may have lost but they put up a brilliant show to keep the defeat to margin of 0-2. Australia are World No 25 while India are the 102nd ranked country in the FIFA Men's Team Rankings. That is why this effort is commendable. India defended well in the first half to keep the score at 0-0 at the end of it. But Australians were relentless in the second half and managed to score two goals to eventually win the match.

India still have two matches left, against Uzbekistan and Syria. While India are likely to win vs Syria, the match vs Uzbekistan will be as hard as the one vs Australia.

Can India still qualify for the knockout stage of AFC Asian Cup?

India can still qualify for the knockout stages of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. There are two ways to do so. One, India should aim to finish in top two at the end of all matches in the group stage. They must beat Uzbekistan on January 17 and then Syria on January 23 to do so. Secondaly, if India cannot finish in the top two, they should ensure that they are the third-placed team at the end of the group stage. Plus, they must ensure the goal difference is not on the higher side.

While the top two teams from the group stage qualify directly for the knockouts, the top four third-placed teams from the six groups also make the cut.

As per the rules, the top 2 teams from six groups make it to the last 16. That means 12 teams qualify directly. The remaining four teams are the best four third-placed teams across the six groups.

Check out different scenarios for qualification

Currently, India are placed at the bottom of Group B with Australia at the top with 3 points. Syria and Uzbekistan played out a draw and shared the spoils. They have one point each. India are fourth with no points and goal difference in -2.

Now, for India to qualify, they must try and win remaining two matches. If not, they should look to win at least one or play out a draw to finish with at least 2 points. That will help them stay in contention of the knock out stage qualification. If India finish third, their qualification will also depend on fate of the other third-placed teams in the other groups. That is why the goal difference matters and India must try and avoid heavy defeats.