India and Nepal to face each other in AFC U-16 Championship 2018 Qualifiers

Published at :April 21, 2017 at 1:54 PM

Modified at :April 21, 2017 at 1:54 PM

The tournament will take place from 16th to 24th September as defending champions are drawn in the same group as India...

Some 45 Member Associations from across Asia learned their opponents for the upcoming AFC U-16 Championship 2018 qualifiers on Friday following the official draw at AFC House.

Defending champions Iraq, have been grouped with India, Palestine and Nepal who will host the qualifiers in Group D, while the Islamic Republic of Iran - last year’s runners-up - are scheduled to meet Kyrgyz Republic, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Bhutan in Group C.

Elsewhere, two-time champions and 2016 semi-finalists DPR Korea, will face Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Macau and Brunei Darussalam in Group F, with Japan, who also reached last year’s semi-finals drawn in Group J, along with Singapore, Malaysia and Guam.

The ten (10) group winners and five (5) best second-placed teams will advance to the final stage of the tournament, along with the host Member Association. The AFC U-16 Championship 2018 qualifiers are set to take place from September 16 to 24, 2017.

Official Draw of AFC U-16 Champioonship 2018 Qualifiers

The Indian U-16 National Team will play two matches as part of the India-Egypt Friendship Cup 2017 in Cairo, Egypt to prepare for the qualifiers . The first of which kicks-off on April 22, 2017 against Egypt’s Al-Ahly Club in Nasr City, Cairo, before the Colts lock horns against Smouha Club on April 23, 2017 in Alexandria.

WEST ZoneGroup A:1. Uzbekistan2. Saudi Arabia (Host for qualifiers)3. Jordan4. Bahrain5. Sri Lanka

Group B:1. Oman2. Tajikistan (Host for qualifiers)3. Syria4. Turkmenistan5. Maldives

Group C:1. Islamic Republic of Iran (Host for qualifiers)2. Kyrgyz Republic3. Afghanistan4. Lebanon5. Bhutan

Group D:1. Iraq2. India3. Palestine4. Nepal (Host for qualifiers)

Group E:1. United Arab Emirates2. Yemen3. Qatar (Host for qualifiers)4. Bangladesh

EAST ZoneGroup F:1. DPR Korea2. Hong Kong3. Chinese Taipei4. Macau5. Brunei Darussalam

Group G:1. Thailand (Host for qualifiers)2. Laos3. Timor-Leste4. Northern Mariana Islands 5. Indonesia

Group H:1. Korea Republic2. China PR3. Myanmar4. Philippines

Group I:1. Vietnam2. Australia3. Mongolia (Host for qualifiers)4. Cambodia

Group J:1. Japan2. Malaysia3. Singapore4. Guam

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