India’s Blue Colts have been placed in a challenging Group D alongside defending champions Uzbekistan, Australia and North Korea for the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup.
The final draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. The tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia from May 5 to 22.
The AFC U17 Asian Cup draw is out! 🏆
Our #BlueColts 🇮🇳 will take on Uzbekistan 🇺🇿, Australia 🇦🇺 & DPR Korea 🇰🇵 in Group D
More details 🔗 https://t.co/28yYteLnBU#AFCU17 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/OBi18zcgT2
— Indian Football (@IndianFootball) February 12, 2026
The Blue Colts secured qualification for the continental showpiece for the 10th time in their history after topping their qualifying group ahead of Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Chinese
Taipei.
India will open their campaign against Australia before facing Uzbekistan and North Korea in their remaining group fixtures.
Uzbekistan enter the tournament as reigning champions and qualified automatically. Australia, who exited at the group stage in the 2025 edition, booked their place this time with wins over Jordan, Bhutan and the Philippines in qualifying.
North Korea, two-time former champions, reached the semi-finals in 2025 and also qualified automatically for the 2026 edition.
Group A features hosts Saudi Arabia alongside Tajikistan, Thailand and Myanmar. Group B comprises Japan, Indonesia, China and Qatar. In Group C, South Korea, Yemen, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates will battle it out.
The stakes are high. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarter-finals and secure qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
(with PTI inputs)
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