India had been picked as the new host of the second AFC Challenge Cup 2008, stated to run from 30th July to 10th August 2008. The biennial event to be played among Asia's 20 lower-ranked countries was originally scheduled to be held from 1-16 March in Chinese Taipei.
AFC later offered the tournament to Thailand after Chinese Taipei failed to meet the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)'s requirements. Later on, Thailand expressed its inability to host the tournament at the last minute and India chipped in and offered to host the tournament though five months after the original date.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat termed the event very important for the Pakistan national team in 2008 and called Chaman-based coach Akhtar Mohiuddin to pick players from the current Pakistan Premier Football League.
"The most fascinating moment for all the participants including Pakistan during the event will be to vie for direct berth in 15th Asian Cup 2011 [without playing Asian Cup qualifiers]. The winners of the AFC Challenge Cup 2008 and 2010, will join hosts Qatar, title holder Iraq, losing finalists Saudi Arabia and third-placed South Korea in the 2011 Asian Cup finals", he added.
'All India Football Federation has proposed New Delhi and Hyderabad to host the tournament. An AFC delegate will visit India later this month to inspect the infrastructure in the two cities and decide on one venue,' said Faisal, adding that Hyderabad, which hosted the Military World Games in October 2007, has good infrastructure while New Delhi successfully hosted the Nehru Cup in August.
He added, "AFC has designed the tournament to give a boost to the emerging nations of the continent who starve for international exposure. Many thinks that AFC's launching of this tournament- to be held every two years -is not only a giant step toward development of the game for the minnows but also a perfect stage for the host country to show their commitment for the popularity of the game.'
Twenty teams will take part in the event. Top four seeded teams North Korea, Turkmenistan, Myanmar and India will get byes to the final competition. The other sixteen teams shall be divided into four groups of four teams. The top team from each group will qualify for the tournament, bringing the total number of participating teams in the centralised finals to eight.
The teams of 2008 AFC Challenge Cup are North Korea, Turkmenistan, India, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, Chinese Taipei, Bangladesh, Brunei, Pakistan, Cambodia, Philippines, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Macau, Guam and Laos.
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