New Delhi, February 12 India were drawn against Uzbekistan, Australia, and North Korea in Group D of the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup, in the final draw held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
The tournament will take place from May 5 to 22 in Saudi Arabia.
India qualified for the AFC U17 Asian Cup for the 10th time in history after finishing ahead of Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, and Chinese Taipei in the qualifiers.
The Blue Colts will begin their campaign against Australia, followed by Uzbekistan and Korea.
Uzbekistan are the defending champions, qualifying automatically for the tournament. Australia were eliminated in the group stage of the 2025 edition and qualified for the 2026 tournament after victories over Jordan, Bhutan, and the Philippines.
Two-time former champions North Korea were semi-finalists in 2025, thus also qualifying automatically for the current edition.
In Group A, hosts Saudi Arabia were drawn alongside Tajikistan, Thailand, and Myanmar. Group B contains Japan, Indonesia, China, and Qatar. Group C has South Korea, Yemen, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarter-finals and also qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
