Myanmar to play opener against Tajikistan in third-round Asian Cup Qualifiers

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the qualifiers for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, with Myanmar set to take on Tajikistan in their first group match.
The Football Confederation held the drawing-lot ceremony for the third round of the Asian Cup on 24 February in four groups of six.
Myanmar is placed in Group F with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Singapore.
According to the group division, Jordan, Kuwait, Indonesia and Nepal are placed in Group A.
Group B consists of Palestine, the Philippines, Yemen, and Mongolia.
Next, ASEAN powerhouse Thailand is falling in Group C with Uzbekistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Group D is made of India, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia and Group E will see Bahrain, Turkmenistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh.
The Myanmar team is in the tough group and likely to struggle to qualify for the tournament.
According to the match schedule, the Myanmar team will play against Tajikistan on 8 June, Kyrgyzstan on 11 June and Singapore on 14 June, respectively.
The third round will be a one-round event, with a total of 11 teams including the top six teams from each of the six groups and the top five runners-up will qualify to the next stage.
Myanmar lost to ASEAN regional rival Singapore in the same group at the ASEAN Suzuki Cup in 2021. —Ko Nyi Lay/GNLM