New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- India will be one of the seven hosts of the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers, scheduled to be played from November 22 to 30, 2025. All matches in India will be held at The Arena in Ahmedabad. The official draw for the qualifiers is set to be held on August 7, 2025.

A total of 38 countries will compete in the qualifiers. These teams will be divided into seven groups, comprising three groups of six teams and four groups of five teams. The winners of each group will qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026. They will join nine other AFC teams that have already secured qualification to the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2025.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey said, "It is a...