U17 Asian Cup Group Draw to Take Place on December 9; Chinese National Team Placed in Third Tier: Avoiding Vietnam

Following the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers, all 16 participating teams have been confirmed, with China securing its place. Based on the results of the previous U17 Asian Cup, China will enter the draw as a third-tier team, alongside Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Vietnam. Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, and Uzbekistan will be the seeded teams.

In the 2023 U17 Asian Cup, the 2006-born Chinese national youth team finished with 1 draw and 2 losses in the group stage, ultimately placing 13th, which influenced their tier placement for the upcoming U17 Asian Cup.

Ultimately, the 2008-born Chinese national youth team, along with Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Vietnam, will be placed in the third tier. The host nation Saudi Arabia, as well as Japan, South Korea, and Uzbekistan, will be the seeded teams. Iran, Yemen, Australia, and Thailand will be in the second tier. Indonesia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and North Korea will form the fourth tier, notably, none of these four teams made it to the final round of the previous tournament.

The group draw for the U17 Asian Cup is scheduled for December 9 this year, with the finals set to take place from April 3 to 20, 2025. The top 8 teams from next year’s U17 Asian Cup will qualify for the U17 World Cup, which, starting from next year, will expand to 48 teams.

Appendix: U17 Asian Cup Group Tiers

Seeded Teams: Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan;

Second-Tier Teams: Iran, Yemen, Australia, Thailand;

Third-Tier Teams: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, China, Vietnam;

Fourth-Tier Teams: Indonesia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, North Korea