The UAE is in the third level in the draw for the Asian Youth Football Cup qualifiers
Kuala Lumpur, May 21 / WAM / The UAE U-20 national team awaits the draw for the qualifiers for the finals of the Asian Championship, which will be hosted by China in 2027.
The Asian Football Confederation announced today that the draw ceremony will take place at its headquarters in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, on May 28.
44 teams will participate in the qualifiers, in the 23rd edition of the qualifying system since it was first adopted in the 1980 edition.
The qualifying competitions will be held during the period from August 31 to September 6, 2026, with a group system, with the implementation of a new system within the main reforms for age group competitions in the AFC, which were approved earlier this year.
The new system aims to ensure the holding of more competitive matches and give the teams greater opportunities to face competitors who are close in technical level, by adopting a two-stage system that includes a mechanism for promotion and relegation.
In the main qualifying stage, 32 teams were distributed into eight groups, each containing four teams. The top teams in the groups qualify, along with the seven best second-placed teams, to the 43rd edition of the tournament, while the teams that finish last in each group are relegated to the development stage in the next edition.
As for the development stage in the upcoming qualifiers, 12 teams will participate, divided into three groups, each of which includes four teams, with the top teams in the groups advancing alongside the second-place finishers to the main qualifiers stage in the next edition.
The classification of the teams was based on the results of the last three editions and the number of teams participating in the tournament.
The main qualifying stage levels included Australia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan in the first level.
Qatar, Indonesia, Syria, Thailand, Vietnam, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are in the second level.
The UAE, the Sultanate of Oman, India, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Cambodia, Bahrain, Malaysia, and the Philippines are in the third level.
Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Laos, Hong Kong, China, and Afghanistan are at the fourth level.
During the development stage, the distribution was as follows:
The first level: China Taipei, Mongolia, and Myanmar, the second level: Singapore, Guam, and the Maldives, the third level: Nepal, Brunei, and Bhutan, and the fourth level: Macau, Sri Lanka, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The AFC determined the host federations for each stage’s competitions, and an additional pot was allocated to the hosts in the draw to ensure their distribution into different groups.
The list of hosts for the main qualifying stage included: Uzbekistan, Qatar, Thailand, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Bahrain, and Laos, while the list of hosts for the development stage included: Mongolia, Myanmar, and Bhutan.
- For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter
