India Drawn With Malaysia, Palestine, Singapore and Guam in AFC U17 Qualifiers

India have been drawn alongside hosts Malaysia, Palestine, Singapore and Guam in Group E of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers, following the official draw held in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

The Indian team will begin its qualifying campaign against Singapore on November 11, followed by matches against Guam on November 14 and Palestine on November 17. India will conclude their group-stage campaign against hosts Malaysia on November 20.

The Group E matches will be played in Malaysia from November 11 to 20 in a single round-robin format, with the top team from the group securing qualification for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2027.

A total of 35 teams have been divided into seven groups of five, with only the seven group winners advancing from the qualifying stage. India were placed in Pot 1 for the draw, with the seedings determined through a points system based on teams' performances across the previous three editions of the tournament.

The AFC U17 Asian Cup 2027 will be hosted by Uzbekistan from May 12 to 29, 2027. The seven group winners will join nine Asian teams that have already qualified automatically through their participation in the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.

India will be aiming for a second successive appearance at the continental tournament after qualifying for the 2026 edition in Saudi Arabia, where the team exited at the group stage. A successful qualifying campaign would mark India's 11th appearance in the AFC U17 Asian Cup.

The other teams already assured of places in the 2027 tournament include Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

For India, the upcoming qualifiers present another important opportunity for the country's young footballers to make their mark on the Asian stage and continue the team's progress in age-group international football.