When & who will India U17 men's team play in the AFC U17 Asian Cup?

India U17 men’s team will kick off their campaign against Australia.

India U17 men’s team under Bibiano Fernandes were left carrying the nation’s hopes after the U23 side narrowly missed out on AFC U23 Asian Cup qualification, and the senior men’s team suffered a poor AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign.

With little else to cheer about, all attention shifted to Bibiano Fernandes’ young side, who were expected to do something special to keep India’s Asian dreams alive at the U17 level.

Still, the challenge was far from easy. India were drawn against a strong Iran side in the qualifiers, where only one team could progress to the AFC U17 Asian Cup.

The campaign started with a draw against Palestine, but a loss to Lebanon left India with no room for mistakes. As a result, they were forced into a must-win clash against Iran, a team that has played the tournament five times before, making the task extremely tough.

India U17 managed to do the unthinkable after defeating Iran and making it to the AFC U17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. They were put in Pot 3 and have been drawn alongside Australia, Uzbekistan and the People’s Republic of Korea.

India will play all the matches in the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. In this article, we take a closer look at India’s fixtures in the AFC U17 Asian Cup, as a spot in the FIFA U17 World Cup is also at stake. It will be interesting to see how the Blue Colts fare under Bibiano Fernandes.

Who are India’s opponents in AFC U17 Asian Cup?

India U17 men’s team will begin their Asian odyssey against Australia, who have made it to the semi-finals thrice after becoming an AFC member in 2006. They were the second-highest-ranked team in Pot 2. It won’t be an easy start for Bibiano’s boys, but they have all the potential to pull an upset.

India’s toughest test will be against Uzbekistan, who have unarguably been one of the best sides in the continent in recent times. They were placed in Pot 1 and qualified for the AFC Asian Cup by virtue of being one of the AFC teams in the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup.

India will ply their trade against the People’s Republic of Korea in their last group stage fixture. Despite being put in Pot 4, they were the highest-ranked team in the pot. The North Koreans have previously won the competition back in 2010 and 2014.

India U17’s fixtures in AFC U17 Asian Cup

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