India has been named as one of the seven host nations for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers, with Ahmedabad set to host all of India's matches between November 22nd and 30th, 2025. The Arena in Ahmedabad will be the venue for these matches. The official draw for the qualifiers is scheduled for August 7th, 2025.
A total of 38 countries will participate in the qualifiers, vying for a spot in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026. These teams will be divided into seven groups: three groups of six teams each and four groups of five teams each. The winner of each group will automatically qualify for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026. Furthermore, the qualifiers will help determine which teams will participate in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025, with nine AFC teams already securing direct qualification.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey expressed his pride in India being selected as one of the hosts. He is particularly pleased that Ahmedabad will be taking center stage and believes this is a great opportunity for the young players to perform on home soil and for Ahmedabad to showcase its ability to host elite international competitions. Chaubey hopes that the team qualifies for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, viewing it as a gateway to the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and an important step in Indian football's long-term development.
Gujarat's Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Harsh Sanghavi, stated that hosting this prestigious event provides an opportunity for the state to showcase its love for the game, hospitality, and rising football culture, positioning Ahmedabad on the Asian football map.
The 38 participating teams have been divided into six pots based on their performance in the last three tournaments (2025, 2023, and 2018). India is placed in Pot 2 but will also be included in a special "Hosts Pot" for the draw, ensuring that no two host nations are drawn into the same group. The other host nations are China PR, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Kyrgyz Republic, and Jordan.
The draw seeding has placed teams into six pots, with Australia, Yemen, IR Iran, Oman and Thailand in Pot 1. Pot 2 contains Afghanistan, Malaysia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Laos and Kuwait. Singapore, Bahrain, Philippines, Turkmenistan and Palestine are in Pot 3. Pot 4 consists of Syria, Mongolia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Brunei Darussalam. Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Maldives, Timor-Leste and Lebanon are in Pot 5. Macau, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in Pot 6.
