India are still in contention for the 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup despite losing to Lebanon

India’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 AFC Under-17 Asian Cup suffered a blow after a 0-2 defeat to Lebanon at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad on Friday.

India came into this match on the back of a spirited and impressive 3-1 comeback win against Chinese Taipei on Wednesday. Captain Dallalmuon Gangte produced one of the standout performances of the qualifiers so far, scoring a brilliant hat-trick to take the Blue Colts to four points from two games. The win was India’s first of the campaign, following the 1-1 draw against Palestine in the opening round.

Despite this loss, the Bibiano Fernandes-coached Indian team still has a chance to qualify for the continental event.

They play Iran on Sunday in a must-win match. Iran currently has seven points from three matches after beating Palestine earlier in the day. After the defeat, India has four points from three matches.

If India wins the match, it will be due to the number of points in the head-to-head match with teams with an equal result, which in this case would be Iran.

Indian midfielder Thonggoumang Touthang will miss the match against Iran after being shown a straight red card in the closing stages of the match against Lebanon for pressing Paul Maakaroun.

Published on November 28, 2025