AHMEDBAD: India U17 men's head coach Bibiano Fernandes has named a 23-member squad for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers, beginning Saturday at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.
India will face Palestine (November 22), Chinese Taipei (November 26), Lebanon (November 28) and Islamic Republic of Iran (November 30). The group winners will qualify for the final tournament in Saudi Arabia next year, which will act as the qualification pathway for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
Group A will see hosts China PR, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka doing battle while Group B will be contested by 2002 runners-up Yemen, Laos, hosts Kyrgyz Republic, Cambodia, Guam and Pakistan.
The Group C challenge will involve hosts Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Northern Mariana Islands and Macau.