LAHORE – Pakistan will attempt to earn a slot in the 15th World U17 Cup 2013, to be held in the UAE, when they face Asian teams in the 15th AFC U16 Championship this year. North Korea will defend the title.
PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat has asked the Operation Wing to call as many teams as they can for the 8th National U16 Championship (May 1-15) to get an abundance of talented players ahead of the Championship. The AFC U16 show – which is held every two years – also acts as a qualifying tournament for the FIFA U17 World Cup.
With the late inclusion of Cambodia, a total of 40 teams have entered the fray for the 15th AFC U16 Championship and have been divided into two zones – West (22) and East (18). The teams will be divided into seven groups of six and five teams each.
West Zone will have two groups of six and two of five teams, while East will have three groups of six teams each. The top two teams from each group and the third best team from West and East zones will qualify for the tournament proper.
TEAMS AND ZONES
West by ranking
1. Uzbekistan, 2. UAE, 3. Syria, 4. Iraq, 5. Iran, 6. Kuwait, 7. Tajikistan, 8. Oman, 9. Saudi Arabia, 10. Bahrain, 11. Yemen, 12. Bangladesh, 13. Qatar, 14. Nepal, 15. Kyrgyzstan, 16. Pakistan, 17. India, 18. Afghanistan, 19. Lebanon, 20. Palestine, 21. Maldives, 22. Sri Lanka.
East by ranking
1. DPR Korea, 2. Australia, 3. Japan, 4. Indonesia, 5. Vietnam, 6. China, 7. Timor Leste, 8. Chinese Taipei, 9. Thailand, 10. Laos, 11. Hong Kong, 12. Singapore, 13. Korea Republic, 14. Myanmar, 15. Malaysia, 16. Guam, 17. Cambodia, 18. Macau.
