The Asian Football Confederation on Monday amended the qualifying draw for the 2011 Asian Cup after India booked their place at the tournament by winning the Challenge Cup.
Two berths are reserved at the showpiece event in Qatar for the winners of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008 and 2010 – a tournament featuring second tier Asian nations.
India ensured their first appearance at the Asian Cup since 1984 by beating Tajikistan 4-1 in the Challenge Cup final last month, meaning qualifying Group C, in which they had been drawn, now comprises only three teams.
The top two teams from each group make the finals:
Group A: Japan, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Yemen
Group B: Australia, Indonesia, Oman, Kuwait
Group C: Uzbekistan, UAE, Malaysia
Group D: Vietnam, China, Syria, Lebanon
Group E: Iran, Thailand, Jordan, Singapore
(Note: Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, the top three teams at the 2007 Asian Cup along with 2011 hosts Qatar automatically qualify).
