New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) India will be one of the seven hosts of the Qualifiers for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) U17 Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2026. The Arena in Ahmedabad will be the venue for all matches of the event, which is scheduled to be played from November 22 to 30, 2025..

The draw for the qualifiers will take place on August 7, 2025.

The 38 Countries participating in the qualifiers will be drawn into seven groups (three groups of six teams and four groups of five teams each).

The group winners will qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026, joining nine participating AFC teams in the FIFA U17 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 U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers, and I am particularly pleased to see Ahmedabad take centre stage. This is an excellent opportunity for our boys to perform on home soil, and for the city of Ahmedabad to showcase its capability to host elite international competitions.

“I wish our boys the very best, and sincerely hope that they qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup, which serves as the gateway to the FIFA U17 World Cup, and take another important step forward in Indian football’s long-term development pathway,” he said.

Harsh Sanghavi, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs of Gujarat, said, “This is a proud moment for Indian football and Gujarat. 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 such as this will position Ahmedabad on the Asian football map.”

The 38 teams competing in the qualifiers have been divided into six pots based on the seeding and pot allocation principle, which takes into account the team’s performance in the last three tournaments (2025, 2023, and 2018).

While India are in Pot 2, they will be placed in an additional Hosts Pot for the purpose of the draw to ensure all hosts are drawn in 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 U17 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.

Qualifiers Dates: November 22-30, 2025

Venue: The Arena, Ahmedabad

–IANS

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