Kuala lumpur: On Thursday, at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the draw for the 2027 AFC U-17 Championship qualifiers was held. The 35 participating teams were divided into seven groups of five, competing in a single round-robin format within a centralized tournament. The qualifiers will take place from November 8 to 20, 2026.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, the winners of the seven groups will join the nine AFC representatives at the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, who have already qualified automatically: Qatar, Australia, China, Japan (the defending champions), South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Indonesia, the top seed, will face Myanmar (the host nation), Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Cambodia in Group A, while Group B comprises Thailand (the host nation), Iraq, Hong Kong, China, Chinese Taipei, and the Maldives.
The UAE (hosts), Bangladesh, Syria, Bhutan, Macau, and China are vying for qualification from Group C, while Group D features Laos (hosts), Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Group E sees India, Malaysia (hosts), Palestine, Singapore, and Guam competing for the sole qualifying spot, while Yemen, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan (hosts), Mongolia, and the Northern Mariana Islands battle for the top spot in Group F.
Group G features Oman (hosts), Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Brunei Darussalam.
The AFC U-17 Championship Uzbekistan 2027 will be held from May 12th to 29th, 2027.