Agencies
New Delhi
The Indian Under-20 men’s team have been drawn with Uzbekistan, Syria and Bangladesh in Group B for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers slated to be held in Tashkent from August 25-September 6.
The matches will be held in a centralised single round-robin format.
As per the new format of the AFC youth competitions announced earlier this year, a two-phase system featuring a promotion and relegation mechanism has been introduced in the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
In the Qualification Phase, which India are part of, 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four, with the group winners and the seven best second-placed teams among all groups advancing to the 43rd edition of the AFC U20 Asian Cup.
At the same time, the six lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams among all groups will be relegated to the Development Phase of the subsequent edition.
For the Development Phase in the Qualifiers, 12 teams are divided into three groups of four, with the three group winners and the three second-placed teams of each group to be promoted to the Qualification Phase of the next edition.
Seeding for the teams were based on the performances in the three most recent editions (2018, 2023, 2025) and the number of teams entering
the competition.
The Blue Colts, ranked 20th, were allocated Pot 3 in the Qualification Phase.
India will aim to qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup for the first time since 2006 when they hosted the tournament.
Their best result at the tournament was joint champions alongside Iran in 1974.
In the previous edition (2025), the Blue Colts narrowly missed out on qualification on the basis of goal difference.
