Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Thursday announced the draw of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup, which is scheduled to take place from June 15-July 2, here.
The 16 teams were divided into four groups with the top two teams from each group progressing to the knockout stages, which consist of the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.
India have been drawn against three-time winners Japan, Vietnam and Uzbekistan in Group D of the tournament.
"We are all excited with the group that we got at the draw. We will be facing some quality opponents, and the boys are really looking forward to it. Every footballer at every level wants to play against the best, and Japan are certainly one of the best in Asia," head coach Bibiano Fernandes said.
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"Our previous batches have of course played against the teams like Uzbekistan and Vietnam, and we have had some good results against them, so we are very hopeful to reach our goal, which is to be the first Indian team to qualify for the (FIFA U-17) World Cup," he said.
Hosts Thailand will have Malaysia, Laos and Yemen for the company in Group A. Two-time champions Korea Republic are drawn with Iran, Afghanistan and Qatar Group B. Tajikistan got a challenging Group C with Australia, Saudi Arabia and China in it.
The four teams that make it to the semifinals will have their places in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Peru 2023 in November.
The tournament will be held across four venues -- Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thammasat Stadium and BG Stadium, Pathum Thani, and Chonburi Stadium, Chonburi.
Groups:
Group A: Thailand, Yemen, Malaysia, Laos
Group B: Korea Republic, IR Iran, Afghanistan, Qatar
Group C: Tajikistan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China PR
Group D: Japan, India, Vietnam, Uzbekistan
