Indonesian U-17 Drawn in Group A of Asian Cup Qualifiers 2027

RRI.CO.ID, Banda Aceh - Indonesian U-17 National Football Team received an interesting draw in the 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers. The Young Garuda were drawn in Group A alongside hosts Myanmar, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Cambodia.

The 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers draw was held by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at AFC House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

Indonesia was placed in Pot 1 in the draw based on AFC points earned from the last three editions of the U-17 Asian Cup. The draw then placed David Nascimento's squad in a group featuring three Southeast Asian countries and one representative from South Asia.

Myanmar will host all Group A matches. This means Indonesia must prepare to face the pressure of playing on the opponent's home ground throughout the qualifying campaign.

The Group A competition also brings a Southeast Asian rivalry. Indonesia will face Myanmar, the Philippines, and Cambodia, while Afghanistan will be the opponent from outside the region.

The 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers are scheduled to take place from November 8-20, 2026. A total of 35 countries will participate, divided into seven groups, with each group featuring five teams.

The format used is a single round-robin. Each team will face every opponent in its group once.

The competition is particularly important because only the group winners will automatically secure tickets to the 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup finals in Uzbekistan.

The seven group winners will later join nine countries that have already secured places in the finals after qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The nine countries are Uzbekistan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Japan, China, Vietnam, South Korea, and Qatar.

Indonesia therefore has time to strengthen its preparations before the official matches. David Nascimento has called up 24 players for preparations, including a series of international friendly matches.

The Young Garuda previously faced Malaysia in July and Uzbekistan in August. The series of matches formed part of preparations for the intense competition in the 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)

2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers Draw Results

Group A: Indonesia, Myanmar (hosts), Afghanistan, Philippines, Cambodia.

Group B: Thailand (hosts), Iraq, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Maldives.

Group C: United Arab Emirates (hosts), Bangladesh, Syria, Bhutan, Macau.

Group D: Iran, Laos (hosts), Jordan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,

Group E: India, Malaysia (hosts), Palestine, Singapore, Guam.

Group F: Yemen, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan (hosts), Mongolia, Northern Mariana Islands.

Group G: Oman (hosts), Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Brunei Darussalam.