New Delhi, February 19 – The India U17 men's football team, which is preparing for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 in Saudi Arabia, will play two friendly matches against Myanmar in Yangon on March 3 and 5, 2026.
The "Blue Colts" have already played four international friendly games this year – two against Tajikistan (in Goa) and Türkiye (in Antalya).
After returning from Türkiye, Bibiano Fernandes' team has continued to train in Goa. The India U-17 team will depart for the Myanmar capital on February 28, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced in a statement on Thursday.
Like India, Myanmar has also qualified for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup. They topped Group C of the qualifiers, finishing ahead of Oman, Syria, Afghanistan, and Nepal.
India will play against Australia (May 6), Uzbekistan (May 10), and DPR Korea (May 13) in Group D of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 in Saudi Arabia, which will feature 16 top teams from the continent.
The Indian team has qualified for the 21st edition of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup (including previous editions of the AFC U-17 Championship, the annual international youth football championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-17 national teams of Asia).
Groups A and B are comprised of Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Myanmar, and Japan, Indonesia, China, and Qatar, respectively. Matches will be played in four venues in and around Jeddah.
The group winners and runners-up will advance to the quarterfinals and also qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup. If Qatar (who automatically qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup as hosts) advance to the quarterfinals in the U-17 Asian Cup, the best third-placed team will also qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
