⚽ What Are the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers?

The qualifiers are the regional competition to decide which teams make it to the AFC U-17 Asian Cup finals.

For the 2026 edition, 38 teams were drawn into seven groups: three groups of six teams, and four groups of five teams.

The format is a single round-robin, centralised league — meaning each team in a group plays every other team once in a host city.

Only the group winners advance to the final tournament.

The finals for the U-17 Asian Cup are set to have 16 teams, divided into four groups of four.

🇮🇳 India’s U-17 Qualifier Details

India has been drawn in Group D for the 2026 qualifiers, along with Iran, Palestine, Chinese Taipei, and Lebanon.

All of India’s Group D matches will be played in Ahmedabad (The Arena) from November 22 to 30, 2025.

The schedule:

Nov 22: India vs Palestine

Nov 26: India vs Chinese Taipei

Nov 28: India vs Lebanon

Nov 30: India vs Iran

India must win the group to qualify for the finals.

📋 Important Rules & Regulations

The ranking system in each group is based on standard tie-breakers (points, goal difference, head-to-head, etc.) as specified in the AFC competition regulations.

Only the top teams from each qualifying group make it — there is no second-place playoff for this edition.

The final tournament (AFC U-17 Asian Cup) is scheduled to be held May 7–24, 2026, in Saudi Arabia.

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