Kuala lumpur: The first step towards earning a coveted spot at the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 will be taken with the Qualifiers Draw on 28th May at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A cast of 44 teams are set to participate in the Qualifiers, marking the 23rd occasion since the tournament’s introduction in 1980.
According to Emirates News Agency, the Qualifiers will be staged between 31st August and 6th September 2026 in a centralised league system, featuring a new format as part of key reforms to the AFC’s youth competitions ratified earlier this year. The reforms are designed to ensure more meaningful matches and opportunities for teams to compete against opponents of similar technical competency, introducing a two-phase system with promotion and relegation mechanisms.
In the Qualification Phase, 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four, with the group winners and the seven best second-placed teams advancing to the 43rd edition of the AFC U20 Asian Cup. Conversely, the bottom team of each group will be relegated to the Development Phase of the subsequent edition.
For the Development Phase in the upcoming 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 is based on the three most recent editions and the number of teams entering the competition.
The United Arab Emirates were placed in Pot 3 of the Qualification Phase alongside Oman, India, DPR Korea, Cambodia, Bahrain, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Pot 1 includes Australia, Republic of Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan, while Pot 2 features Qatar, Indonesia, Syria, Thailand, Vietnam, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Pot 4 comprises Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Laos, Hong Kong, China, and Afghanistan.
In the Development Phase, Pot 1 consists of Chinese Taipei, Mongolia, and Myanmar; Pot 2 includes Singapore, Guam, and Maldives; Pot 3 features Nepal, Brunei Darussalam, and Bhutan; while Pot 4 contains Macau, Sri Lanka, and Northern Mariana Islands. Host Associations in each phase have been identified and will be separately allocated to an additional Hosts Pot at the beginning of the draw to ensure they are drawn into different groups.
In the Qualification Phase, the hosts are Uzbekistan, Qatar, Thailand, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Bahrain, and Laos. Mongolia, Myanmar, and Bhutan will host groups in the Development Phase.