At the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) House in Kuala Lumpur, the final draws for both the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 Saudi Arabia and the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 were conducted, and India’s young footballers, both men and women, now know exactly who stands between them and a historic World Cup berth.
For a country still working hard to establish itself on the continental stage, having two U17 teams drawn into major AFC tournaments in the same year is not just a moment to celebrate. It is a sign of something real taking root.
The Men’s Draw: Group D in Saudi Arabia
India’s Blue Colts have been placed in Group D of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 alongside Uzbekistan, Australia, and DPR Korea. The tournament runs from May 5 to 22, hosted across venues in Saudi Arabia.
On paper, it is a group that demands India’s very best. Uzbekistan are the defending AFC U17 Asian Cup champions, having claimed the title at the 2025 edition. Australia are perennial contenders, consistently punching above their weight in Asian youth football. DPR Korea, though ranked just below India in the seedings, are notoriously disciplined and difficult to break down.
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India head into this as the 12th ranked team in Asia for this age group, drawn from Pot 3. What makes their presence here special is the manner in which they earned it. In November 2025, the Bibiano Fernandes-coached side topped their qualifying group at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad, beating Iran 2-1 in a dramatic final group game. Trailing to a 19th-minute strike from Amirreza Valipoor, India came from behind through a Dallalmuon Gangte penalty and a Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam winner in the 52nd minute, sending the crowd of nearly 5,000 home supporters into raptures. It was the kind of comeback that tells you something about a team’s character.
This marks India’s 10th appearance at the AFC U17 Asian Cup, a milestone that deserves recognition. The Blue Colts have featured in the tournament in 1990, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2023. Their best performances remain quarter-final exits in 2002 and 2018. The 2026 edition gives them a genuine shot at matching or surpassing that benchmark, but it will require stepping up massively against top-quality opposition.
The stakes are enormous. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals and, crucially, earn automatic qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026. That means finishing second or better in Group D would book India’s place at a World Cup, something the senior and U17 teams have rarely managed through the competitive route.
The Women’s Draw: Group B in China
If the men’s story is one of milestone, the women’s story is one of renaissance.
India’s Young Tigresses have been placed in Group B of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 alongside Japan, Australia, and Lebanon. The tournament is scheduled from May 1 to 17 in China.
The significance of this draw cannot be overstated. India’s U17 women had last appeared at the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup in 2005, which was then an 11-team tournament with direct entry. This qualification, achieved through the competitive qualifiers route in October 2025, is therefore a first of its kind for Indian women’s football at this age level. It took 21 years to get back to this stage, and this generation of Young Tigresses did it the hard way.
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Head coach Joakim Alexandersson’s side topped Group G in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, defeating Uzbekistan 2-1 in a heart-stopping finale. Going a goal down in the 38th minute after Shakhzoda Alikhonova’s volley from outside the box beat the keeper, India needed to find something from within. Substitute Thandamoni Baskey, brought on at halftime, sparked the comeback with a goal in the 55th minute before Anushka Kumari sealed it with a brilliant individual effort 11 minutes later. For context, India only needed a draw to qualify. They did something far better.
The qualification also completed a remarkable treble for Indian women’s football. For the first time in the country’s history, the U17, U20, and senior women’s national teams all qualified for their respective AFC Asian Cups in the same cycle. That is not a coincidence. It reflects the investment being made across age groups.
Now, in China, they face Japan, the joint most successful team in the tournament’s history with four titles, and Australia, one of Asia’s most technically refined sides. Lebanon complete Group B. For a side seeded 9th in Asia, this is about as tough an introduction to continental football as possible.
What’s at stake is similarly massive. The top four semi-finalists of the 12-team tournament earn qualification for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026, currently held by DPR Korea. Given that India are in a group with Japan and Australia, qualifying from the top two would require a near-perfect group stage. But even finishing as one of the best two third-placed teams opens a path to the knockouts and a World Cup ticket.
Historical Context and What This All Means
Indian football has had a complicated relationship with Asian youth competitions. The men’s side’s best U17 moments came in 2002, when they reached the quarter-finals in United Arab Emirates, and again in 2018, which they followed up with India’s only FIFA U17 World Cup appearance as hosts in 2017. That World Cup experience, where they fell to the USA, Colombia and Ghana, remains the high-water mark of Indian youth football in terms of global stage, and the dream of repeating it on merit is what drives this current generation.
The women’s side, meanwhile, have been in the process of building something from scratch in terms of continental aspirations. Winning the SAFF U17 Women’s Championship was one thing. Getting through the AFC qualifiers against proper opposition is another entirely. The fact that they did it while trailing in their final game speaks volumes about the mentality Alexandersson has built in his squad.
Both these draws, tough as they are, represent genuine opportunity. India is not going to Saudi Arabia or China merely to make up the numbers. The men have the squad depth and tactical nous under Bibiano Fernandes to cause upsets. The women have the hunger and the composure under pressure to compete.
For Indian football, May 2026 could be a month like no other.
- AFC U17 Men’s Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026: May 5–22 | Group D: Uzbekistan, Australia, India, DPR Korea
- AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026: May 1–17 | Group B: Japan, Australia, India, Lebanon
