India U-19 football team clubbed with Saudi Arabia in AFC Championships Qualifiers

The India U-19 football team has been clubbed with hosts Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan in Group F of the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers to be played between November 2 and 10. In 2017, the India U-19 team was also drawn along with Saudi Arabia which hosted the group qualifiers.

Despite a 3-0 win over Turkmenistan and a 0-0 draw against Yemen, a 0-5 loss to Saudi Arabia dashed India's hopes of progressing further from the qualifiers, as only one team from each group makes it through to the main Championship. Head coach Floyd Pinto said, "It is a tough draw for us and we are aware of the strengths our opponents possess. But at the same time, the boys have shown that they can fight against some of the best teams (in I-League) and we are hopeful of our qualification chances.

"We will have to be on the top of our game if we are to qualify from this group," he added.