India falls under Group G with UAE, Maldives and China, check out the schedule and draw for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers
The Indian football squad is grouped G with the People’s Republic of China, the UAE, and the Maldives for the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers. The draw was held on Thursday at the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia location of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House.
AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 qualifiers draw, schedule, date, fixtures, groups, format
From April 15 to May 3 of 2024, Qatar will host the sixth edition of the football tournament for young players that takes place every two years. There will be qualifying games this year from September 4 to September 12 for the Qatar Asian Cup 2024.
The AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 qualification draw divided 43 teams into 11 groups, with 10 groups consisting of four teams and the final group containing three teams.
AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers: Groups
Group A: Jordan, Syria, Oman, Brunei Darussalam
Group B: Korea Republic, Myanmar, Krygyz Republic, Qatar
Group C: Vietnam, Singapore, Yemen, Guam
Group D: Japan, Bahrain, Palestine, Pakistan
Group E: Uzbekistan, IR Iran, Hong Kong, Afghanistan
Group F: Iraq, Kuwait, Timor Leste, Macau
Group G: UAE, India, Maldives, China
Group H: Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Philippines
Group I: Australia, Tajikistan, Laos, DPR Korea
Group J: Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Lebanon, Mongolia
Group K: Turkmenistan, Indonesia, Chinese Taipei
As the hosts, Qatar has received direct entry into the tournament. Their qualifying matches will be regarded as friendly competitions.
Jordan, Korea Republic, Vietnam, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Kuwait, China, Thailand, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia will all host the qualifying matches for their respective groups. The remaining matches as well as all of India’s games in Group G will be played in China.
For each group, teams will compete in a single-leg round-robin format. The top teams from each of the 11 groups, together with the four best second-place teams, will join Qatar for the 16-team main competition.
Saudi Arabia is the reigning AFC U23 Asian Cup champion. They won the championship in 2022 by defeating Uzbekistan.
India has never advanced to the AFC U-23 Asian Cup main draw. The Indian U-23 team will face the Maldives in its opening qualifying game on September 6.
The AFC U23 Asian Cup will act as a qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, and the top three teams will get direct entry. The fourth-placed team will compete in the AFC-Confederation of African Football play-off game for a spot in Paris 2024.
AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers: Schedule for Indian team
- September 6, Wednesday: India vs Maldives
- September 9, Saturday: India vs China
- September 12, Tuesday: India vs UAE