Pakistan drawn in Pot 6 for AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers

Pakistan’s journey to the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 will kick off this November as the national U17 team prepares to compete in the qualification stage.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will hold the official draw for the qualifiers on August 7, with Pakistan placed in Pot 6, the lowest seeding tier.

The qualifiers will be held from November 22 to 30 across seven host nations: India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Kyrgyz Republic, and Jordan. 

A total of 43 teams will be drawn into seven groups—three groups will feature six teams, while four will comprise five teams each.

Pakistan’s seeding in Pot 6, alongside Macau and Sri Lanka, means the team is expected to face tough competition from higher-ranked opponents seeded in Pots 1 through 5.

Top-seeded teams in Pot 1 include Oman, Australia, Yemen, Iran, Thailand, China, and Vietnam—nations with strong records at the continental level.

Pot 2 features India, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Laos, and Kuwait. Pot 3 includes Bahrain, Myanmar, the Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Palestine.

Pot 4 comprises Syria, Mongolia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Jordan, Chinese Taipei, and Brunei, while Pot 5 includes Nepal, Bhutan, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Maldives, Timor-Leste, and Lebanon.

Under the tournament format, the winners of each group and the best-performing runners-up will qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 finals, where Asia’s top youth teams will compete for the continental title.