AFC U-16 Championship 2020: India draw S. Korea, Australia in Group C

The Blue Colts will face some of the best teams in Asia in the group stage of the tournament.

The official draw for AFC U-16 Championship 2020 in Bahrain took place as the nations prepare to take up the challenge in the coming September. India U-16 team was placed in Pot 3 for the tournament and has been drawn in Group C. The other teams in the group are Asian giants Australia and South Korea as well as Uzbekistan.

The Blue Colts had earlier qualified for the AFC U-16 Championship 2020 finals having finished at the pinnacle of Group B in the qualification round back in September 2019. With two wins and a draw, the young boys displayed sheer brilliance on the pitch while also registering a whopping 11 goals. It was an excellent record especially as they defied all odds to beat tournament hosts Bahrain and Turkmenistan. Against Uzbekistan too, India showed a great potential as they managed to hold onto a draw.

Elsewhere, South Korea and Australia proved their class in the qualifying stages, winning all three matches. In addition to that, the former conceded zero goals while the latter conceded just twice in those games to further add an element to their quality. Thus, it will indeed be a huge challenge for India to get the better of the two sides to proceed to further stages of the tournament.

Furthermore, the top four teams of AFC U-16 Championship finals will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2021 as representatives of the AFC. Therefore, the stakes are as high as they can be for each team.

Previously, India had lost out on a spot in the World Cup after going as far as the quarterfinals before getting knocked out at the hands of South Korea. Bibiano Fernandes' side will, thus, seek redemption for the loss in 2018 as they prepare to take on some of the best teams in Asia in the group stage.