LAHORE – Pakistan will take on India in the 37th AFC U19 Championship Qualifiers. The event is slated to run from November 1 to 12. Meanwhile, Japan’s quest for their maiden AFC U19 Championship crown will see them draw swords against fellow East Asian giants and 11-time winners Korea Republic in the qualifiers.
Pakistan’s other opponents in Group C will be Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The Pakistan-India clash will be the first in age-limit competitions since the 11th South Asian Games 2010. The teams will attempt to earn a slot in Turkey’s 19th World U20 Cup 2013 by finishing in the top four of the qualifiers. North Korea are the defending champions.
Thirty-nine Asian nations will take part in the event. The AFC U19 show, which is held every two years, also acts as a qualifying tournament for the FIFA U20 World Cup in which Asia is given four berths.
GROUPS:
Group A: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives
Group B: Bahrain, Jordan, Tajikistan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bhutan
Group C: Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan
Group D: UAE, Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Lebanon
Group E: S. Republic, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Guam, Chinese Taipei
Group F: DPR Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos
Group G: Australia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau
