The draw ceremony for the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers took place at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday. Oman Under-17 football team was placed in Group J alongside Tajikistan, Guam, and the hosts Singapore. The qualifiers are scheduled to be played from October 19 to 27. The top ten group winners and the five best second-placed teams will advance to the finals, which will be held in Saudi Arabia from April 3 to 20, 2025.
Anwar al Habsi, the head coach of the Oman U17 team, commented on the draw results, stating that the national team has been placed in a balanced group. He acknowledged that Tajikistan is considered the strongest team in the group, being one of the top developed Asian teams. Al Habsi mentioned that the team has a well-planned preparation schedule, including domestic and abroad training camps, as well as participation in the West Asian Championship in August and the Arab Football Championship in September. The warm-up period will continue until the start of the qualifiers in October.
In other group results, Iran will compete against Jordan, Syria, Hong Kong, China, and North Korea in Group A, with the qualifier matches being hosted in Amman city. Afghanistan, on the other hand, will aim to secure a spot in the qualifiers as they face Bangladesh, Cambodia (hosts), Philippines, and Macau in Group B.
In Group C, South Korea will compete against Korea Republic, China (hosts), Bahrain, Bhutan, and Maldives for the automatic ticket to the finals. Meanwhile, Group D consists of Thailand as hosts, India, Brunei Darussalam, and Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan will face off against Iraq, Chinese Taipei (hosts), and Palestine teams in Group E.
The defending champions and four-time winners, Japan, will be in Group F alongside hosts Qatar, Mongolia, and Nepal. Group G will showcase teams from Australia, Indonesia, Kuwait (hosts), and Northern Mariana Islands.
Hosts Laos will be aiming to secure a spot in the finals as they go up against Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon in Group H. Yemen, on the other hand, will be grouped with Vietnam (hosts), Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar in Group I.
