India drawn in challenging groups for AFC U17 and U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers

India’s U17 boys and girls football teams have learned their paths to the continental stage, following the official draw for the AFC U17 and AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, August 7.

Both sides will have to overcome tricky opponents to make it to the final tournaments in Saudi Arabia and China, respectively.

The Indian boys, placed in Group D, will have the advantage of playing at home as Ahmedabad’s The Arena hosts the group from November 22 to 30, 2025. They are set to face Palestine, Chinese Taipei, Lebanon, and the Islamic Republic of Iran in a tightly packed centralised league format. India begins their campaign against Palestine on November 22, with the final match scheduled against Iran on November 30.

Meanwhile, the Indian girls have been drawn into Group G of the women’s qualifiers, alongside Uzbekistan and hosts Kyrgyz Republic. Their matches will take place in Bishkek from October 13 to 17, 2025, with the Young Tigresses kicking off againstthe  Kyrgyz Republic on October 13 before facing Uzbekistan in a potentially decisive clash on October 17.

For both tournaments, only the group winners will progress to the final stage. In the men’s competition, 38 teams have been divided into seven groups. The seven group winners will qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026, joining the nine Asian nations that have already secured their spots via the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025 – including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Korea Republic, and UAE.

In the women’s competition, 27 teams are split into eight groups. The eight winners will move on to the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in China, where they will be joined by DPR Korea, Japan, Korea Republic, and hosts China PR to form a 12-team final tournament.

The stakes are even higher this time, with both the AFC men’s and women’s events acting as gateways to the FIFA U17 World Cups – in Qatar (2026) for the boys and Morocco (2026) for the girls. A top-eight finish in the men’s event or a top-four finish in the women’s edition will secure World Cup qualification.

While the boys’ team is aiming to return to the continental stage after missing out in 2025, the girls are eyeing a historic breakthrough, having last appeared in the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup back in 2005, and never before having qualified via the traditional route.

 India U17 Fixtures

Boys (Group D – Ahmedabad)

Nov 22: India vs Palestine

Nov 26: India vs Chinese Taipei

Nov 28: India vs Lebanon

Nov 30: India vs IR Iran

Girls (Group G – Bishkek)

Oct 13: India vs Kyrgyz Republic

Oct 17: India vs Uzbekistan