The road to the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 begins on November 22 as 38 teams enter the Qualification Stage across seven centralised groups.
Kuala Lumpur | By Sayer Zaland
The Qualification Phase of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 will begin on Saturday, November 22, with 38 national teams competing for the seven remaining places in the Finals. Only the group winners will advance and join the nine AFC nations that have already secured qualification through the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025: Qatar, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Korea Republic, DPR Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.
The Qualifiers will be held in a single round-robin format across several centralised venues in Asia. Thirteen teams are attempting to reach the Finals for the first time, including Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Lebanon, Macau, Maldives, Mongolia, Northern Mariana Islands, Palestine, Philippines, and Sri Lanka.
Group A action in China PR opens with Bangladesh facing Timor-Leste, followed by Brunei Darussalam against Sri Lanka. Hosts China PR, two-time champions, will meet Bahrain in the late fixture at the Tonglianglong Stadium.
Group B gets underway in the Kyrgyz Republic, where Laos takes on Guam. The hosts then meet Yemen at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, before Cambodia face Pakistan later in the evening.
Group C in Vietnam begins with Hong Kong, China against Macau, followed by Northern Mariana Islands versus Malaysia. Vietnam, aiming for its fifth consecutive qualification, meets Singapore at the PVF Stadium.
Group D in India starts with Lebanon meeting Chinese Taipei at the EKA Arena, followed by India against Palestine. The Islamic Republic of Iran, champion in 2008, will make its first appearance in the campaign on November 24.
Group E in Jordan features Bhutan against the hosts in the opening match, while the Philippines face Iraq. Jordan returns to action on November 24 against Australia.
Group F in Thailand sees Turkmenistan take on Kuwait, followed by the Maldives versus Mongolia. Thailand, targeting a sixth consecutive qualification, begins its campaign against Mongolia on November 24.
Group G in Myanmar opens with the hosts meeting Afghanistan at 4 pm, as Afghanistan seeks a fourth straight appearance in the Finals. Nepal faces Syria in the second match, before Oman starts their qualification campaign on November 24.
The AFC U17 Asian Cup is one of Asia’s most important youth tournaments and a key platform for developing emerging talent across the continent. The 2026 edition, hosted by Saudi Arabia, marks the 21st staging of the competition. The Qualifiers continue to play a critical role in identifying new talent and strengthening youth football structures across AFC Member Associations. Afghanistan has reached the last three editions, and Group G is expected to be among the most competitive of this year’s qualification phase.
