AFC U17 Qualifiers to Decide Seven Finals Places
Thirty-five teams begin a round of group qualifying on Sunday for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Soccer
Thirty-five teams are competing for seven places at the AFC U17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027, with qualifying beginning Sunday, November 8, 2026. The field is split into seven groups of five teams, each played as a single round-robin at a centralised venue, and only group winners advance to the finals.
Why it matters
The qualifiers determine which youth national teams reach the continental finals scheduled for May 2027. Nine nations have already secured places through the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
Thirteen of the 35 qualifiers have never reached the continental finals, and Pakistan has not appeared since its 2002 debut. Iran, Iraq, Oman and Thailand have previously won the trophy.
The players
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
The AFC is the continental governing body for football in Asia, organising the AFC U17 Asian Cup and its qualifying competitions.
The details
Each of the seven five-team groups is played as a single round-robin at a centralised venue, with qualifying venues spanning Myanmar, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Laos, Malaysia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Oman. Australia, China PR, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam have already qualified.
Timeline
Sunday, November 8, 2026: Qualifiers begin across the seven groups.
May 2027: AFC U17 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2027 finals.
Season Trajectory
The qualifiers extend the AFC youth pipeline that the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar helped shape earlier this year, with nine places already settled. The seven group winners will complete the finals field, and the 13 first-time qualifying nations show how broad the competitive base has become.
Only the seven group winners will advance, so each group decides its finalists outright with no second chance. Results from these five-team groups will determine which nations' youth players reach the continental stage in May 2027.
The takeaway
Because only group winners advance, every match in a five-team round-robin carries outsized weight for teams hoping to reach the finals. Follow the qualifying results as they come in to see which of the 26 remaining sides earn a place.
What happens next
Qualifying groups conclude over the coming weeks, with group winners confirmed ahead of the May 2027 finals in Uzbekistan.
Further reading
For more on youth competition across the region, see Soccer.
