Road to AFC U20 Asian Cup begins

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain have been drawn in Group D of the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers, alongside Jordan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, following the official draw held at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Kingdom of Bahrain will host the group’s qualification matches from August 25 to September 6, with all fixtures set to be played in a centralised league format. The competition will determine which teams progress to the continental finals in China, scheduled from March 24 to April 10, 2027.

This edition of the qualifiers introduces a new competition system approved by the AFC earlier this year as part of broader reforms to age-group tournaments.

The revised format is designed to raise competitive standards across Asia and ensure more balanced, technically demanding encounters between national teams.

Under the new structure, the qualification campaign will be played over two stages and will feature a promotion and relegation mechanism. A total of 32 national teams are split into eight groups of four.

The eight group winners, along with the seven best second-placed teams, will advance to the 43rd AFC U20 Asian Cup finals, while the bottom-placed team in each group will drop into the AFC’s developmental stage for the next edition of the qualifiers.

The group stage features a wide spread of contenders across Asia. Group A includes South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, and Lebanon. Group B brings together Uzbekistan, Syria, India, and Bangladesh. Group C consists of Iran, Vietnam, North Korea, and Palestine.

Group D comprises Bahrain, Jordan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. Group E features Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Hong Kong China. Group F includes Iraq, Thailand, the UAE, and Turkmenistan. Group G contains Japan, Yemen, Cambodia, and Kuwait, while Group H is made up of Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Laos.

With the advantage of playing on home soil, Bahrain will be aiming to make full use of familiar conditions as they push for a place in the prestigious continental tournament.