India have been drawn into Group A of the Beach Soccer Asian Cup and will begin their campaign against hosts Thailand on March 20. The 12-member squad, along with the coaching and support staff, will leave for Pattaya from Rajkot on the evening of March 16 and reach their destination in the wee hours of March 17. The national team camp was held in Porbandar, Gujarat, over two phases, with 75 players from 12 states being called up for the first stage. Thereon, the camp was narrowed down to 25 players from February. Head coach Faizal, who was formerly the gaffer of the Malaysia national beach soccer team in 2019, is heading into the 2025 AFC Beach SoccerAsian Cup with a positive outlook. “We have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. Of course, the other teams have been in beach soccer for a longer period, and with Thailand as the hosts, it will be even more challenging, but anything can happen in beach football,” said the 50-year-old.