Shillong, Sep 5: India qualified for the third place playoff match after being held to a 0-0 stalemate by Afghanistan in their last Group B encounter in the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 in Hisor, Tajikistan, on Thursday.
The Blue Tigers had to wait for the second match of the day between Iran and Tajikistan, which ended in a 2-2 draw, to learn their fate.
Khalid Jamil’s men finished the group in second place with four points (a win, a loss, and a draw), while Iran topped Group B with seven points from three matches each. Hosts Tajikistan, on 4 points, and Afghanistan, on 1 point, were knocked out of the tournament. India finished ahead of Tajikistan by virtue of a better head-to-head record after beating them 2-1 in the first match.
The Blue Tigers will now play the third-place match at the same venue on 8th September.
They will face the team that finish second in Group A. As it stands, Oman and Uzbekistan are locked on 4 points apiece, occupying the top two spots in the group; both have the same goal difference (+1) and have scored the same number of goals in their two matches (3). Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan are third and fourth, respectively, with a point apiece. Oman play Turkmenistan, while Uzbekistan face Kyrgyzstan on Friday.
(Photo: All India Football Federation/Facebook)
