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India will host AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers in Ahmedabad from Nov 22-30.
The Arena in Ahmedabad will host the AFC Asian Cup U17 qualifiers (Picture credit: X @IndianFootball)
India will be one of seven hosts for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup football qualifiers, scheduled from November 22 to 30.
The Arena in Ahmedabad will be the venue for all matches. The draw for the qualifiers is set for August 7.
The 38 countries competing in the qualifiers will be divided into seven groups (three groups of six teams and four groups of five teams each).
The group winners will qualify for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026, joining nine participating AFC teams in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025, who have already directly qualified for the tournament.
AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said: “It is a matter of great pride for India to be among the hosts of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers, and I am particularly pleased to see Ahmedabad take centre stage. I sincerely hope that India qualifies for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, which serves as the gateway to the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and takes another important step forward in Indian football’s long-term development pathway.”
Gujarat sports minister Harsh Sanghavi stated: “It’s an opportunity for the state to showcase its love for the beautiful game, its world-class hospitality, and our rising football culture. Hosting a prestigious event like this will position Ahmedabad on the Asian football map.”
The 38 teams competing in the qualifiers have been divided into six pots based on seeding and pot allocation principles, which consider the team’s performance in the last three tournaments (2025, 2023, and 2018).
While India is in Pot 2, they will also be placed in an additional Hosts Pot for the draw to ensure all hosts are drawn into separate groups. China PR, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Kyrgyz Republic, and Jordan are the other six hosts that cannot be drawn into India’s group.
Pots for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers Draw:
Pot 1: Australia, Yemen, IR Iran, Oman, Thailand
Pot 2: Afghanistan, Malaysia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Laos, Kuwait
Pot 3: Singapore, Bahrain, Philippines, Turkmenistan, Palestine
Pot 4: Syria, Mongolia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Brunei Darussalam
Pot 5: Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Maldives, Timor-Leste, Lebanon
Pot 6: Macau, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
Hosts Pot: China PR, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Myanmar, Kyrgyz Republic, Jordan.
(With PTI Inputs)
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