India were on Thursday drawn alongside four-time champions Japan, Australia and Lebanon in a tough Group B at the AFC Under-17 Women’s Asian Cup in China. Having qualified for the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup for the first time in 21 years after defeating Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan, India will begin their campaign against Australia, followed by matches against Japan and Lebanon.
The tournament will take place from May 1-17 in the city of Suzhou at the Suzhou Sports Centre Stadium and the Suzhou Taihu Football Sports Centre. Japan were runners-up in 2024, thus qualifying automatically for the tournament. They were also FIFA U17 Women's World Cup champions in 2014 and runners-up in 2010 and 2016.
Australia were knocked out in the group stage of the 2024 edition and qualified for the 2026 tournament after victories over Singapore and Northern Mariana Islands. On the other hand, Lebanon will make their debut, having made it to their maiden tournament with wins over Kuwait and IR Iran.
In Group A, hosts China were drawn alongside Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. Group C comprises DPR Korea, Korea Republic, Philippines and Chinese Taipei. The top two sides from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals. The four semifinalists will qualify for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup Morocco 2026, where DPR Korea are the current holders.
Draw
Group A: China PR (H), Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar
Group B: Japan, Australia, India, Lebanon
Group C: DPR Korea, Korea Republic, Philippines, Chinese Taipei
Also read: Bembem, Ashalata make it to AFC Asian Cup All-Time Dream XI
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