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The CAFA Nations Cup 2025 is set to take place from August 29 to September 8 and is set to be hosted by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Nations Cup 2025 will be the second edition of the tournament which will be conducted every two years. Eight teams are set to participate in the tournament from Central Asia who will be divided in two groups in the group stage. Oman were the inaugural champions of the tournament in the year 2023.
According to the latest developments, India have been invited to participate in the tournament as a replacement for the Malaysian National team. The invitation has reportedly been accepted by the AIFF (All India Football Federation). However, the Central Asian Football Association is yet to give a confirmation about the participation of Blue Tigers. The participation of India in this tournament will mark the first huge responsibility of the new Indian National coach who is set to be appointed by the AIFF on August 1.
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India will be placed in the Group B alongside Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan if their participation in the tournament is confirmed. The other teams which will be participating in the tournament are Oman, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan who will be competing against each other in the group ‘A’. This tournament marks an important phase for India as preparation ahead of their crucial AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against Singapore in October this year. This tournament will be very important for the Indian National team as they gear up for the Asian Cup Qualifiers 2027 against Singapore later this year.
Latest reports suggest that the Malaysian National football team backed out of the tournament due to logistical challenges and player unavailability, as the tournament does not exactly fall in the FIFA match window calendar. India need to prove themselves in this tournament to gain back the faith of the fans. It will be interesting to see the kind of impact which will be brought by the new Indian Coach.
