2014 AFC Challenge Cup: India submits hosting bid!

The All India Football Federation has formally handed in its bid to the Asian Football Confederation to host the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup, which is a qualification tournament for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup for the second tier nations in Asia.

India in 2008 last hosted the AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad and New Delhi with Team India winning the tournament with 4-1 final victory against Tajikistan to qualify for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. But earlier this year Team India fared miserably at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal by losing all matches. The tournament was won by North Korea who qualified for Australia in 2015.

But the will to host does not mean a spot in the final tournament of eight nations at the AFC Challenge Cup. With 20 nations applying to participate in the pan-Asian tournament, there will be qualifiers set to be played in March 2013 to determine the final eight nations.

Once the final eight nations have been confirmed, only then will the Asian Football Confederation confirm the hosts for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup though sources within the AFC say that India have good chances to become the hosts if India qualify for the final round.

Certainly it is a wise move by the AIFF to hand in its bid documents and believe that Team India gets through the qualifiers.