New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) India have been drawn in Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers after the draw ceremony was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Drawn alongside India in Group H are Qatar, Bahrain, and Brunei Darussalam. Qatar, the highest-seeded team among the four, will host Group H, with the matches slated to be played between September 1 to 9.

A total of 44 teams were divided into 11 groups of four each. The group winners and the four best runners-up, alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, will complete the cast of 16 teams for the seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will take place in January 2026.

The seedings for the draw were based on a points system derived from the teams’ final rankings across the previous three editions of the tournament. India were placed in Pot 3.

India had earlier appointed Naushad Moosa has the head coach of their U23 national team. Moosa takes charge of the U23s on June 1, when the Blue Colts assemble in Kolkata for a training camp, before flying off to Tajikistan to play two exposure friendly matches against Tajikistan (June 18) and Kyrgyz Republic (June 21).

The India U23s will utilise all the FIFA International windows to set camp and play exposure friendlies to prepare for the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers.

AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers Draw Result:

Group A: Jordan (H), Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan

Group B: Japan, Kuwait, Myanmar (H), Afghanistan

Group C: Vietnam (H), Yemen, Singapore, Bangladesh

Group D: Australia, China (H), Timor-Leste, Northern Mariana Islands

Group E: Uzbekistan, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Sri Lanka

Group F: Thailand (H), Malaysia, Lebanon, Mongolia

Group G: Iraq, Cambodia (H), Oman, Pakistan

Group H: Qatar (H), Bahrain, India, Brunei Darussalam

Group I: United Arab Emirates (H), IR Iran, Hong Kong China, Guam

Group J: Korea Republic, Indonesia (H), Laos, Macau

Group K: Tajikistan, Syria, Philippines, Nepal

–IANS

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