India in AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifications group details, schedule, location, how can the Indian team qualify?

Host India is attracted to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine, Chinese Taipei and Lebanon in Group D of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi -Aarabia 2026 qualifications, after the draw that was performed at the AFC house in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday 7 August 2025.

Ahmedabad’s EKA Arena organizes Group D of the qualifications from 22 to 30 November 2025.

The draw saw 38 teams divided into seven groups – three of the six teams each and four of the five. They will contest the qualifying competitions in a single Round-Robin centralized competitive format, with the seven group winners that will continue to the 21st edition of the Asian Cup.

Nine countries – Qatar, Uzbekistan, Saudi Aarabia, Korea Republic, DPR Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia – who have qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025 in the Asian cup.

For the draw of the qualifications, the 38 teams were sown in six pots based on a point system derived from their final ranking on the previous three editions of the Asian Cup.

India was sown in pot 2 and placed in a separate pot before the draw to ensure that it was not signed in the same group as other hosts.

The AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 takes place from 7 to 24 May 2026 and the top eight finishers are eligible for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.

After missing the qualification for the 2025 tournament, India will strive to bounce back and appear in the AFC U17 Asian Cup for the 10th time in history.

AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi -Arabia 2026 Draw -result

• Group A: China PR (H), Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka

• Group B: Yemen, Laos, Kyrgyzstan Republic (H), Cambodia, Guam, Pakistan

• Group C: Vietnam (H), Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Northern Mariana Islands, Macau

• Group D: Islamic Republic of Iran, India (H), Palestine, Chinese Taipei, Lebanon

• Group E: Australia, Iraq, Philippines, Jordan (H), Bhutan

• Group F: Thailand (H), Kuwait, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Maldives

• Group G: Oman, Afghanistan, Myanmar (H), Syria, Nepal

Schedule of India:

• November 22: Palestine vs India

• November 26: India vs Chinese Taipei

• November 28: India vs Lebanon

• November 30: Iran Iran vs India