India have been placed in Group G alongside hosts Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 Qualifiers, following the draw conducted on Thursday.
A total of 27 teams have been split into eight groups with three groups comprising four teams each, and five groups with three teams. The qualifiers will follow a single round-robin, centralised format, scheduled to take place from October 13 to 17.
India will begin their campaign against hosts Kyrgyzstan on October 13, followed by a crucial clash against Uzbekistan on October 17, with both matches set to be held in Bishkek.
Only the eight group winners will advance to the 10th edition of the finals, where they will be joined by the four AFC teams that have already qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2025: North Korea, Japan, South Korea, and hosts China. This will make up a 12-team tournament, an expansion from the previous editions.
India were seeded in Pot 1 for the draw, based on their cumulative ranking points from the last three editions of the competition. The Young Tigresses will look to make history by qualifying for the continental finals for the first time via the traditional qualification route.
Their only previous appearance came in 2005.
The final tournament will be held from April 30 to May 17, 2026, with the top four finishers earning qualification for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026.
AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 – Qualifiers Draw
Group A: Philippines, Malaysia, Tajikistan (H), Syria
Group B: Iran, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia (H)
Group C: Indonesia, Myanmar (H), Mongolia, Macau
Group D: Vietnam (H), Hong Kong, China, Guam
Group E: Australia, Singapore (H), Northern Mariana Islands
Group F: Thailand (H), Nepal, Turkmenistan
Group G: India, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic (H)
Group H: Bangladesh, Chinese Taipei, Jordan (H)
India’s fixtures – Group G (in Bishkek):
October 13: Kyrgyz Republic vs India
October 17: India vs Uzbekistan