Cambodia have been drawn in Group G with Japan, Yemen Kuwait for the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers.
Hoping to advance will be defending champions Australia, who headline Group H with Indonesia, Malaysia and hosts Laos following the Official Draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur today.
To be staged between August 25 and September 6, 2026 in a centralised league system, these Qualifiers will feature the implementation of a new format as part of key reforms to the AFC’s youth competitions that were ratified earlier this year.
Cambodia will host the Group G matches and will open their campaign against Yemen on 31 August.
The Kingdom will take on Japan on September 3 and Kuwait on September 6th.
Designed to ensure more meaningful matches and opportunities for teams to compete against opponents of similar technical competency, a two-phase system featuring a promotion and relegation mechanism has been introduced.
In the Qualification Phase, 32 teams were 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. At the same time, 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.
In Group A of the Qualification Phase, 12-time champions Korea will face hosts Kyrgyz Republic, Philippines and Lebanon while standing in hosts Uzbekistan’s way in Group B will be Syria, India and Bangladesh.
Group C will see Iran being challenged by Vietnam (hosts), North Korea and Palestine for the automatic slot to the Finals while Jordan, Tajikistan, Bahrain (hosts) and Afghanistan are the Group D contestants.
Group E will see Saudi Arabia, Qatar (hosts), Oman and Hong Kong, China doing battle while Iraq, Thailand (hosts), United Arab Emirates and Turkmenistan will face off in Group F.
Group I of the Development Phase will see hosts Mongolia, Guam, Nepal and Northern Mariana Islands vying for the two promotion spots while Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Bhutan (hosts) and Macau are the Group J sides. Myanmar (hosts), Maldives, Brunei Darussalam and Sri Lanka were drawn in Group K.
The AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 is scheduled for March 24-April 10, 2027.
Draw Result
Qualification Phase
Group A: Korea, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Philippines, Lebanon
Group B: Uzbekistan (H), Syria, India, Bangladesh
Group C: Iran, Vietnam (H), North Korea, Palestine
Group D: Jordan, Tajikistan, Bahrain (H), Afghanistan
Group E: Saudi Arabia, Qatar (H), Oman, Hong Kong, China
Group F: Iraq, Thailand (H), UAE, Turkmenistan
Group G: Japan, Yemen, Cambodia (H), Kuwait
Group H: Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos (H)
Group winners and seven best second-placed teams advance to Finals.
The bottom team of each group relegated to the Development Phase of next edition.
Development Phase
Group I: Mongolia (H), Guam, Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands
Group J: Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Bhutan (H), Macau
Group K: Myanmar (H), Maldives, Brunei Darussalam, Sri Lanka
Group winners and second-placed teams promoted to the Qualification Phase of next edition.
