India's quest to create AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification history begins with Bahrain clash
Posted on: Sep 02, 2025 19:40 IST | Posted by: Hindustantimes
el beda, The amerind men's U-23 team up testament occupy on Bahrain in its AFC U-23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers Group H opener here on Wednesday.
The Blue Colts, led by head coach Naushad Moosa, are aiming to qualify for the U23 Asian Cup for the first time ever. In the previous six attempts, India have not made it past the Qualifiers, so Moosa and his youngsters will be gunning to create history in the Qatari capital.
Hosts Qatar and Brunei Darussalam are the other two teams in Group H. The group winners and the four best runners-up across all 11 groups will qualify for the final tournament, to be held in January next year in Saudi Arabia.
In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Moosa said, "I don't think any team is 'big'. It's important to respect every opponent.
"As far as Bahrain are concerned, we have watched two or three of their matches to prepare. We know Qatar are a very strong side. They play tomorrow, so I'll get some analysis from that game."
The Blue Colts have had two separate camps in the lead-up to the Qualifiers. In June, they played two friendly games against Tajikistan and Kygryz Republic in Tajikistan.
They had a 20-day camp at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru in August. In the last week of August, the India U23s travelled to Malaysia to play two closed-door friendly games against Iraq, where they lost 1-2 and 1-3, respectively.
After the friendlies in Malaysia, the Blue Colts directly flew to Qatar, arriving in Doha on Saturday, four days before the first match. With temperatures soaring to 43 degrees during the day, Moosa said that the team are gradually adjusting to the different weather conditions.
"It's hot and humid, of course, but in the last few days, we’ve been trying to adapt as quickly as possible. The boys are working hard. We are working on it by training in the mornings and trying to get used to the conditions. The facilities are very good, and we’re excited to play.
"These matches are very important. U23 tournaments help in the players’ development a lot as they get minutes. We need more tournaments like this for better player progression into the senior level," Moosa said.
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