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Hosts India have been placed in Group D alongside Iran, Palestine, Chinese Taipei and Lebanon for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 qualifiers, following the official draw held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Ahmedabad’s The Arena will host all Group D matches, scheduled between November 22 and 30, 2025. India will kick off their campaign against Palestine on November 22, followed by games against Chinese Taipei (Nov 26), Lebanon(Nov 28), and a potential group decider against Iran on November 30.
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A total of 38 teams were drawn into seven groups, three groups of six teams and four of five, to contest the qualifiers in a single round-robin, centralised format. The seven group winners will advance to the 21st edition of the AFC U17 Asian Cup, joining nine AFC nations who have already secured direct qualification via the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025. Qatar, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Korea
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Republic, DPR Korea, Japan, Tajikistan, UAE and Indonesia are the nine nations to have already booked direct qualification.
India, placed in Pot 2, were part of a separate hosts’ pot to ensure they did not face other group hosts in the draw.
The AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 will be held from May 7 to 24, 2026, with the top eight teams earning qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
After missing out on qualification in 2025, the Indian colts will look to bounce back and seal a spot in the tournament for the 10th time in history.
India’s schedule—Group D (Venue: The Arena, Ahmedabad):
November 22: Palestine vs India
November 26: India vs Chinese Taipei
November 28: India vs Lebanon
November 30: Iran vs India
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