CHENNAI: India U20 will open their AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers campaign against Syria at the Do’stlik Stadium in Tashkent on Monday. Before it departed for Uzbekistan, the Blue Colts played friendly matches against Singapore in Bengaluru as part of their preparations which began with the selections in June.
The Blue Colts hope to break a two-decade jinx of not qualifying to the Asian Cup, a title they are joint champions of with Iran in 1974.
With only the group winners and the seven best runners-up across all eight groups making it through to the Asian Cup, the opening fixture against Syria therefore presents an important first step for head coach Mahesh Gawali and his side.
“The first match is always important, especially in a qualifying competition. We have prepared well, and the players are focused. Our approach is to take it one game at a time, stay disciplined and give our best on the pitch. We know what we want to do, and now it is about executing our plans well," said the coach.
India came agonisingly close to qualification in the previous edition. In the 2025 qualifiers, the Blue Colts missed out on a spot as one of the best runners-up on goal difference. The 2007-born defender Malemngamba Singh Thokchom is the only player from that batch in the current squad.
The coach believed that the friendlies that they have played against Singapore and Yemen has given the team different ideas to play against oppositions.
“The friendly matches were useful for us because we were able to assess the team, understand where we can improve and give players the opportunity to play together. The main objective was to be better prepared for the qualifiers, and I feel the games have helped us in that process," said Gawali.
India arrived in Tashkent on August 27, giving the squad several days to acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the opening fixture. The Blue Colts have held two training sessions so far, on August 28 and 29, and will have their final session on Sunday evening ahead of the opener.
Now coached by Netherlands' Arno Buitenweg, Syria's presence also makes for a demanding opening assignment, with India aware that there will be little margin for error in a group that also contains Uzbekistan and Bangladesh.
"Syria are a good team with experience at this level, and we respect them. We have studied them and have an idea of what to expect, but our main focus will be on our own game. We need to be organised, especially without the ball, and make the most of our opportunities when they come. It will be a competitive match, and we have to stay focused for the full 90 minutes," said Gawali.
Syria come into the qualifiers with a strong pedigree at this level, having won the AFC U19 Championship in 1994. They have also been regular participants in recent editions, qualifying for the last two AFC U20 Asian Cups, making them a challenging opponent for India in the opening fixture