India in Group D for AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers

New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) Hosts India have been drawn into Group D for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers. This placement sees India paired with Iran, Palestine, Chinese Taipei, and Lebanon, as decided during the draw on Thursday at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur.

The Arena in Ahmedabad is set to host the Group D matches of the Qualifiers, scheduled from November 22 to 30. India's campaign will kick off with a match against Palestine on November 22, followed by fixtures against Chinese Taipei on November 26, Lebanon on November 28, and finally Iran on November 30.

The draw divided 38 teams into seven groups, comprising three groups of six teams each and four groups of five teams each. These teams will compete in a single round-robin centralized league format. The seven group winners will advance to the finals, joining nine AFC representatives from the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025—comprising Qatar, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia—who have automatically qualified.

In preparation for the Qualifiers, the 38 teams were seeded into six pots based on a points system derived from the final rankings across the previous three editions of the Finals. India was seeded in Pot 2 and placed in a separate hosts Pot to ensure they were not drawn in the same group as other hosts.

The AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 will occur from May 7 to 24, 2026, with the top eight finishers qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026. After missing out on qualifying for the 2025 tournament, India aims to make a strong return and secure their place for the 10th time in the tournament's history.

Groupings:

Group A: China PR (H), Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka

Group B: Yemen, Laos, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Cambodia, Guam, Pakistan

Group C: Vietnam (H), Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Northern Mariana Islands, Macau

Group D: Islamic Republic of Iran, India (H), Palestine, Chinese Taipei, Lebanon

Group E: Australia, Iraq, Philippines, Jordan (H), Bhutan

Group F: Thailand (H), Kuwait, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Maldives

Group G: Oman, Afghanistan, Myanmar (H), Syria, Nepal

India's Schedule:

November 22: Palestine vs India

November 26: India vs Chinese Taipei

November 28: India vs Lebanon

November 30: IR Iran vs India

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