All you need to know about AFC U17 Men's Asian Cup Draw

India will look to make a positive impact in AFC U17 Men’s Asian Cup

The Final Draw for the AFC U17 Men’s Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 will take place on February 12 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, starting at 12:30 IST, and will be streamed live on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube channel.

The 21st edition of the tournament will feature 16 teams divided into four groups of four. India is among the seven teams that qualified through the qualifiers, joining hosts Saudi Arabia and the eight AFC sides that earned automatic spots after reaching the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2025.

The tournament will be held from May 5 to 22, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the quarterfinals and qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026. Placed in Pot 3, India will await their group-stage opponents when the draw is conducted.

Here are the Group Stage Draw Pots for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 & AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 🔢🇮🇳 The #BlueColts and #YoungTigresses will know their opponents tomorrow at 12:30 IST 🕧 🔜More details 🔗 https://t.co/Nyx6drRQwpWatch the Draw LIVE 📺… pic.twitter.com/YvDsPHq6b9

— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) February 11, 2026

India in Pot 3

The 21st edition of the AFC U17 Asian Cup will see 16 teams divided into four groups of four, all chasing continental glory and a ticket to the World Cup. India are one of the seven teams that made it through the qualifiers, joining hosts Saudi Arabia and the eight AFC sides that qualified automatically after reaching the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2025.

The Blue Colts earned their place in style, topping Group D ahead of IR Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Chinese Taipei in November 2025. It will be India’s 10th appearance at the tournament, underlining their growing presence at this level.

Scheduled to be played from May 5 to 22, the competition carries extra stakes as the top two teams from each group will not only move into the quarterfinals but also seal their spots at the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.

As hosts, Saudi Arabia will be designated as the top seed and occupy position A1.

Pot Allocations

Pot allocations for Final Draw (Seedings in brackets):

Pot 1:

• Saudi Arabia (Host)
• Korea Republic (1)
• Japan (2)
• Uzbekistan (3)

Pot 2:

• Tajikistan (4)
• Australia (5)
• Yemen (6)
• Indonesia (7)

Pot 3:

• Thailand (8)
• China PR (10)
• Vietnam (11)
• India (12)

Pot 4:

• DPR Korea (13)
• United Arab Emirates (14)
• Qatar (15)
• Myanmar (16)

When & where to watch?

The Final Draw will be held on February 12 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, beginning at 12:30 PM IST.

Fans can watch the ceremony live on the official AFC Asian Cup YouTube channel.

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