The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today held the draws for the Under-19 and Under-16 categories of their AFC U16 & U19 Championships 2012 at their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Pakistan have been given tough qualifiers in both age groups.
The U19 qualifiers see Pakistan in Group C pitted against Central Asian sides Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, football giants Iran, and SAFF rivals India and Afghanistan. In total 39 teams have been divided into two zones and separated in seven groups of six or five teams each. Each group will play one round league at a centralised venue between 1-12 November 2011 and top two teams from each group will make it to the tournament proper, while the third best teams from each West and East zones will complete the 16-team line up of the 2012 finals.
Players born on or after 1st January 1993 are eligible to participate in AFC U19 qualifiers. The 21st National U19 Championship 2011 scheduled for July will help select the Pakistan U19 team for these qualifiers.
The U16 qualifiers see Pakistan in Group B with strong Arab sides of UAE, Kuwait and Yemen, alongside SAFF rivals Afghanistan and Maldives. 40 teams were divided into two zones and separated in seven groups of six or five teams each. Each group will play one round league at a centralised venue between 10-25 September 2011 and top two teams from each group will make it to the tournament proper, while the third best teams from each West and East zones will complete the 16-team line up of the 2012 finals.
Players born on or after 1st January 1996 are eligible to participate in AFC U16 qualifiers. The 8th National U16 Championship (1-15 May 2011) will help select the Pakistan U16 team for these qualifiers.
The 2012 AFC U16 Championship will also act as qualifiers for 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup that will be hosted by UAE while the 2012 AFC U19 Championship will also act as qualifiers for 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup that will be hosted by Turkey. North Korea (Korea DPR) will defend both their U19 and U16 titles in Asian Youth.
AFC Under-19 Championship 2012 Qualifiers Groupings
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: South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Guam, Chinese Taipei
Group F: North Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos
Group G: Australia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau
AFC Under-16 Championship Qualifiers 2012 Groupings
Group A: Iraq, Iran, Bangladesh, Qatar, Palestine, Sri Lanka
Group B: UAE, Kuwait, Yemen, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Maldives
Group C: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, India
Group D: Syria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Lebanon
Group E: North Korea, China, Timor Leste, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau
Group F: Japan, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Laos, South Korea, Cambodia
Group G: Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Guam