Gulf rivals await Bahrain in qualifiers

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s under-17 football team have been drawn alongside hosts Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon and Brunei Darussalam in Group G of the qualifiers for the 2027 AFC U17 Asian Cup.

The Kingdom’s youngsters learned their path following yesterday’s draw at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The qualifiers will run from November 8 to 20, with Group G being played in Salalah, Oman. Only the seven group winners will advance to the continental finals.

Bahrain begin against Gulf rivals Kuwait on November 8 before taking on Brunei Darussalam three days later. A meeting with hosts Oman follows on November 17, before they round off their programme against Lebanon on November 20.

A total of 35 teams will contest the qualifiers, split into seven groups of five and playing in a single round-robin format at centralised venues.

Indonesia, hosts Myanmar, Afghanistan, the Philippines and Cambodia make up Group A, while Group B consists of hosts Thailand, Iraq, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and the Maldives.

The UAE will stage Group C alongside Bangladesh, Syria, Bhutan and Macau, while Iran, hosts Laos, Jordan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka form Group D.

India, hosts Malaysia, Palestine, Singapore and Guam are in Group E. Group F brings together Yemen, Turkmenistan, hosts Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The seven group winners will complete the 16-team line-up for next year’s Asian Cup, joining Australia, China, defending champions Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Those nine nations earned automatic places after qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar from November 19 to December 13.

The AFC U17 Asian Cup will then take place in Uzbekistan from May 12 to 29 next year, serving as Asia’s qualification tournament for the 2027 FIFA U17 World Cup, also to be staged in Qatar.