Asian Cup 2019: India drawn in Group A with hosts UAE, Bahrain and Thailand

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Bengaluru, May 4: The Indian national football team will feature in Group A alongside hosts United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Thailand in the 2019 Asian Cup.

The Asian Cup will be held from January 5 - February 1 across eight venues in UAE. The tournament, for the first time, will have 24 teams in the final stages. India qualified for the 2011 edition of the tournament but could not make it beyond the group stages in Qatar.

UAE are ranked the highest in the group - 81. India are seeded second at 97. Bahrain are ranked 116th in the world, while Thailand are lodged at the 122nd position. Top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages and India look poised to make the next round given that they have been handed an easy draw.

India sealed their qualification to the main draw back in October 2017 with two games to spare. They were on an 13-game unbeaten run dating back to June 2016 but that was recently halted by Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek in March this year.

To help the team prepare for the Asian Cup, the All India Football Federation are set to host a four-nation Inter-Continental Cup in Mumbai from June 1-10. The first teams of New Zealand, South Africa and Chinese Taipei will feature alongside Stephen Constantine's boys in the tournament. Recent reports, however, indicate Kenya may come in as a last-minute replacement for South Africa.

Meanwhile, Group C features Asian giants Korea and China together, while Group D has pitted Iran and Iraq together. Australia, the only team from Oceania among the 24, are in Group B along with Syria, Palestine and Jordan. Japan make up Group F with Uzbekistan, Oman and Turkmenistan.

Australia are the defending champions of the tournament. The Socceroos beat Korea 2-1 in the 2015 Asian Cup final held in Sydney.

Full draw:

Group A: UAE, Thailand, Bahrain, India

Group B: Australia, Syria, Palestine, Jordan

Group C: Korea, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Philippines

Group D: Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Yemen

Group E: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, North Korea

Group F: Japan, Uzbekistan, Oman, Turkmenistan