AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers: India to face Iran, Mongolia, & Laos in Group G
The AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers draws took place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday, June 13, 2024.
India have been drawn with Iran, Mongolia, and Laos in Group G for the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers. Laos will host the same between September 21-29, 2024. Forty-five teams have been divided into 10 groups. Five groups have four teams each and the other give groups have five teams each.
Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams from all the groups will make it to the finals. China PR will host the tournament from February 6 to 23, 2025.
India will be keen to qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup. Since hosting the tournament in 2006, India have failed to qualify. Their best finish in the tournament came in 1974 when they ended up as the join champions along with Iran.
Before the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, India are set to play the SAFF U20 Championship. The tournament will be held in Nepal from August 16 to 28, 2024.
Coming to the AFC U20 Asian Cup, India possesses a rich history, emerging as joint winners in 1974. That said, it has been a tough task for India to qualify for the finals in the recent past. Their previous appearance came eight years ago in 2016. India will want to end the drought and stage a continental return.
However, the qualification path will not be as smooth. India will face Iran, Mongolia, and hosts Laos in Group G. Iran are a superpower in Asian youth football. They have emerged champions in the tournament four times. Iran certainly starts as the group favorite.
For India to succeed, they will have to be tactically sound and maintain discipline. It will be crucial to counter the attacking Iranian threat. Further, India would look to take advantage of playing against Mongolia and Laos to secure important points.
The forthcoming SAFF U20 Championships will be a pivotal testing ground for the Indian unit. It will rightly serve as a preparatory base heading into the qualifiers.
Here are the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers 2025 Draw Results
Group A: Vietnam (H), Syria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Guam
Group B: Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Chinese Taipei (H), Cambodia, Nepal
Group C: Korea Republic, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait (H), Northern Mariana Islands
Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia (H), Palestine, Afghanistan, Macau
Group E: Tajikistan (H), Oman, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, DPR Korea
Group F: Indonesia (H), Yemen, Timor-Leste, Maldives
Group G: IR Iran, Mongolia, India, Laos (H)
Group H: Iraq, Thailand (H), Philippines, Brunei Darussalam
Group I: Japan, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Myanmar, Turkmenistan
Group J: Jordan, Qatar (H), Singapore, Hong Kong, China