The AFC U-17 Asian Cup is one of the most prestigious football tournaments for the continent’s under-17 teams. The 2023 edition of the tournament is set to take place in Thailand, with 16 teams participating from across Asia. In this article, we will discuss the upcoming event, including the draw, schedule, teams, and other updates.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Format of the tournament
- Participating teams
- Draw ceremony
- Schedule
- Venues
- Updates and news
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Introduction
The AFC U-17 Asian Cup is a biennial football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It features the top under-17 teams from across the continent, who compete for the title of the best team in Asia.
The first AFC U-17 Asian Cup was held in 1985 in China, and since then, it has become an essential event for young footballers in Asia. The tournament has served as a platform for many future football stars, including Japan’s Shinji Kagawa and Saudi Arabia’s Yasser Al-Shahrani.
Format of the tournament
The format of the tournament is divided into three stages: the group stage, quarterfinals, and semifinals. The teams are divided into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, the winners of each group face the runners-up from another group. The winners of the quarterfinals advance to the semifinals, where they play a knockout game to determine the finalists. The two losing teams from the semifinals play in the third-place playoff.
Participating teams
Sixteen teams will participate in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, with the qualification process held last year. The teams are:
- Australia
- Bahrain
- China
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- South Korea
- Syria
- Thailand (Hosts)
- United Arab Emirates
Draw ceremony
The draw ceremony for the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup will take place on March 30, 2023, at the Swissotel Bangkok Ratchada. The ceremony will determine the four groups of four teams that will compete in the group stage of the tournament.
The draw ceremony will be conducted using a lottery system, ensuring that the teams are drawn at random, and no two teams from the same region are drawn in the same group.
Schedule
The tournament is set to take place from June 15 to July 2, 2023, and will last for 18 days. The group stage will take place from June 15 to 22, followed by the quarterfinals on June 25 and 26. The semifinals will take place on June 29, with the final and third-place playoff scheduled for July 2.
Venues
The tournament will be held across two venues in Thailand: the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok and the IPE Chonburi Stadium in Chonburi. These stadiums have a combined capacity of over 100,000, making them ideal for hosting large-scale football events.