Afghanistan drawn in challenging group for AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers

The Afghanistan U-20 national football team has been drawn alongside Jordan, Tajikistan and hosts Bahrain in Group D of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 qualifiers.

The official draw was held Thursday at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with qualification matches scheduled to take place from August 25 to September 6, 2026 in a centralized league format hosted by Bahrain.

Afghanistan faces a difficult path to qualification, with Jordan and Tajikistan both regarded as strong competitors in Asian youth football, while Bahrain will enjoy home advantage during the tournament.

The qualifiers are part of a newly restructured AFC youth competition system approved earlier this year. Under the new format, 32 teams in the Qualification Phase have been divided into eight groups of four teams each.

Group winners, along with the seven best second-placed teams, will advance to the AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 finals.

The AFC said the revised format is aimed at creating more competitive and meaningful matches while giving teams the opportunity to face opponents of similar technical standards.

Under the new system, the bottom team in each qualification group will be relegated to the Development Phase for the following edition of the competition.

For Afghanistan, the tournament represents an important opportunity to continue developing young football talent and gain valuable international experience against some of the region’s stronger youth sides.

Football remains one of Afghanistan’s most popular sports, and youth national teams have increasingly participated in regional and continental competitions despite ongoing challenges facing the country’s sporting sector.

The AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 finals are scheduled to be held from March 24 to April 10, 2027.

Draw Result

Qualification Phase

• Group A: Korea Republic, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Philippines, Lebanon

• Group B: Uzbekistan (H), Syria, India, Bangladesh

• Group C: Iran, Vietnam (H), DPR 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.