All roads lead to Bahrain in November as India look set to take on three continental powerhouses. Here’s what you need to know about the competition..
One of the most coveted youth tournaments in Asia, the AFC U16 Championship, is set to unfold in Bahrain later this year.
The 2020 version will be the 19th edition of the biennial tournament which will serve as the qualification path for the 2021 U17 World Cup. India have qualified for the tournament after topping their qualification group which consisted of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Bahrain.
This edition will be the last to be played as an U16 tournament, as the AFC have proposed switching it from U16 to U17 format from 2023.
Though the Coronavirus pandemic has brought football to a standstill, it is hoped that the tournament will go ahead as per the new schedule and Goal brings you everything you need to know.
Contents
- AFC U16 Championship format
- AFC U16 group stage; Who are India’s opponents
- AFC U16 venue and schedule
- AFC U16 host cities
- Previous winners
- FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru 2021
AFC U-16 Championship Bahrain 2020 format
The 2020 AFC U16 Championship will feature 16 teams – 12 of them qualified after winning their qualification groups while four best runners-up were also handed a spot.
The format for the final tournament will feature four groups of four teams each.
The winner and runner-up in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.
AFC U-16 Championship Bahrain 2020 group stage; Who are India‘s opponents
The group stages were confirmed with the 2020 AFC U16 Championship draw on June 18, 2020, at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur.
The tournament is proposed to take place from November 25, 2020 to December 12, 2020.
Host nation Bahrain will kick off the tournament against Qatar.
Group A
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahrain (H) 🇧🇭 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | North Korea 🇰🇵 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Iran 🇮🇷 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Qatar 🇶🇦 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group A fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Nov | Bahrain vs Qatar | TBC | TBC |
| 25 Nov | North Korea vs Iran | TBC | TBC |
| 28 Nov | Qatar vs North Korea | TBC | TBC |
| 28 Nov | Iran vs Bahrain | TBC | TBC |
| 1 Dec | Bahrain vs North Korea | TBC | TBC |
| 1 Dec | Iran vs Qatar | TBC | TBC |
Group B
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tajikistan 🇹🇯 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Oman 🇴🇲 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Yemen 🇾🇪 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group B fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Nov | Tajiksitan vs UAE | TBC | TBC |
| 26 Nov | Oman vs Yemen | TBC | TBC |
| 29 Nov | UAE vs Oman | TBC | TBC |
| 29 Nov | Yemen vs Tajikistan | TBC | TBC |
| 2 Dec | Tajikistan vs Oman | TBC | TBC |
| 2 Dec | Yemen vs UAE | TBC | TBC |
Group C
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea 🇰🇷 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Australia 🇦🇺 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | India 🇮🇳 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group C fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Nov | South Korea vs Uzbekistan | TBC | TBC |
| 26 Nov | Australia vs India | TBC | TBC |
| 29 Nov | Uzbekistan vs Australia | TBC | TBC |
| 29 Nov | India vs South Korea | TBC | TBC |
| 2 Dec | South Korea vs Australia | TBC | TBC |
| 2 Dec | India vs Uzbekistan | TBC | TBC |
Group D
| Pos | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan 🇯🇵 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Indonesia 🇮🇩 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | China 🇨🇳 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Group D fixtures
| Date | Game | Time (IST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Nov | Japan vs China | TBC | TBC |
| 27 Nov | Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia | TBC | TBC |
| 30 Nov | China vs Indonesia | TBC | TBC |
| 30 Nov | Saudi Arabia vs Japan | TBC | TBC |
| 3 Dec | Japan vs Indonesia | TBC | TBC |
| 3 Dec | Saudi Arabia vs China | TBC | TBC |
When and where will the 2020 AFC U16 Championship take place?
The 19th edition of the AFC U16 Championship will provisionally kick off on 25 November 2020 and will end with the final on 12 December 2020.
The tournament will be held in Bahrain who are hosting it for the first time ever.
It is worth noting that AFC is currently seeking approval from the AFC Competitions Committee on the new competition dates as stated above.
AFC U-16 Championship Bahrain 2020 host cities
The host cities for the tournament is yet to be confirmed by the AFC and the host nation.
AFC U-16 Championship previous winners
| Year | Hosts | Winners |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Qatar | Saudi Arabia |
| 1986 | Qatar | South Korea |
| 1988 | Thailand | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990 | UAE | Qatar |
| 1992 | Saudi Arabia | China |
| 1994 | Qatar | Japan |
| 1996 | Thailand | Oman |
| 1998 | Qatar | Thailand |
| 2000 | Vietnam | Oman |
| 2002 | UAE | South Korea |
| 2004 | Japan | China |
| 2006 | Singapore | Japan |
| 2008 | Uzbekistan | Iran |
| 2010 | Uzbekistan | North Korea |
| 2012 | Iran | Uzbekistan |
| 2014 | Thailand | North Korea |
| 2016 | India | Iraq |
| 2018 | Malaysia | Japan |
| 2020 | Bahrain | TBC |
NOTE: Until 2006 it was held as an U17 tournament. The AFC have proposed switching back to an U17 tournament starting from 2023
FIFA U-17 World Cup Peru 2021
The 2020 AFC U16 Championship will serve as Asia’s qualification tournament for the 2021 FIFA U17 World Cup which will be held in Peru.
Asia has four slots for the tournament and all the semifinalists from the 2020 AFC U16 Championship will qualify for the global youth tournament next year.
India were just one win away from reaching the 2019 U17 World Cup when they lost to South Korea in the quarter-finals in 2018.
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