The Indian national team find themselves in a tricky situation after their 1-1 draw with Singapore in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers on Thursday.

The Blue Tigers are now third in Group C, behind Hong Kong, China (7 points) and Singapore (5 points). India are yet to register a win in the qualifiers, but Rahim Ali’s last-minute equaliser against Singapore was a welcome respite.

The draw, however, leaves India’s hopes of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup for a third consecutive time out of their hands. Khalid Jamil’s side trails group leaders Hong Kong, China by five points, with only three games remaining. With just the top team advancing, their path to qualification looks difficult. Here's how the qualification scenario looks like for India:

Equation with Hong Kong, China:

• India must win all three remaining matches, which will take them to 11 points.
• India must hope that Hong Kong, China, earn no more than four points from their remaining two games.
• India must beat Hong Kong, China by more than one goal in the second tie to top them on head-to-head.

Equation with Singapore:

• India can still qualify over Singapore on head-to-head if they win all their remaining matches, including the second clash against Singapore, even if Singapore win their other two games.

Equation with Bangladesh:

• Bangladesh currently sit at the bottom of Group C with one point, meaning their results won’t affect India if they win all remaining matches.

However, if India drop points in their next game against Singapore and Hong Kong, China beat Bangladesh on October 14, the Blue Tigers’ campaign will effectively end with two matches remaining.