The 16-team AFC U17 Asian CupTM finals will take place in the Saudi Arabian cities of Jeddah and Taif from April 3–20. With its new format, the competition will see the top eight teams advance to the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held in Qatar from November 5–27. There will be 48 teams in the World Cup for the first time in the competition's history.
Saudi Arabia, the host country, was ranked first in Group A, along with Uzbekistan, Thailand, and China, following the draw that took place in January of last year. While the Republic of Korea, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Indonesia are in Group C, Japan, Australia, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates are in Group B. North Korea, Iran, Oman, and Tajikistan make up Group D.
