New Delhi, February 12 India were drawn in Group B alongside four-time champions Japan, Australia, and Lebanon 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 the 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 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 are also the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup champions in 2014 and runners-up in 2010 and 2016.
Australia were eliminated in the group stage of the 2024 edition and qualified for the 2026 tournament after victories over Singapore and the Northern Mariana Islands.
On the other hand, Lebanon will make their debut, having qualified for their maiden tournament with wins over Kuwait and IR Iran.
In Group A, hosts China were drawn alongside Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
Group B comprises Japan, Australia, India, and Lebanon.
Group C comprises DPR Korea, Korea Republic, Philippines, and Chinese Taipei.
The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals.
The four semi-finalists will qualify for the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in Morocco 2026, where DPR Korea are the current holders.
Draw:
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Group A: China PR (H), Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar
Group B: Japan, Australia, India, Lebanon
Group C: DPR Korea, Korea Republic, Philippines, Chinese Taipei