Hosts India received a tough draw as they were grouped with Central Asian powers Tajikistan and Turkmenistan on Monday for the second edition of the AFC Challenge Cup.
The eight-nation competition will be played in Hyderabad from July 30 to August 10.
Bob Houghton's India, who will play Bhutan in the semi-finals of the ongoing South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in Colombo on June 11, will have to negotiate a difficult path through Group A which apart from defending champions Tajikistan also has surprise qualifiers Afghanistan.
DPR Korea, who defeated Turkmenistan 1-0 on Saturday in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier and put themselves in a strong position for the fourth and final round, were drawn in Group B with Myanmar, Nepal and SAFF Championship semifinalists Sri Lanka.
India and Tajikistan are both ranked 153rd in the latest FIFA World Ranking lower than Turkmenistan who are 150th while Afghanistan are the lowest ranked side in the tournament at 182nd.
The winners of the AFC Challenge Cups 2008 and 2010 will have direct entry to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
THE GROUPINGS
GROUP A: 1. Turkmenistan, 2. India, 3. Afghanistan, 4. Tajikistan
GROUP B: 1. DPR Korea, 2. Myanmar, 3. Nepal, 4. Sri Lanka
THE SCHEDULE
July 30: Turkmenistan vs Tajikistan; India vs Afghanitsan
July 31: DPR Korea vs Sri Lanka; Myanmar vs Nepal
August 1: Tajikistan vs India; Afghanitan vs Turkmenistan
August 2: Sri Lanka vs Myanmar; Nepal vs DPR Korea
August 3: Turkmenistan vs India; Afghanistan vs Tajikistan
August 4: DPR Korea vs Myanmar; Nepal vs Sri Lanka
August 7 Semi-finals
August 10: Final
More from rediff