India face Palestine in AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers in Ahmedabad

India U17 begin their AFC Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers against Palestine in Ahmedabad after winning the SAFF U17 Championship and playing friendlies in China. Head coach Bibiano Fernandes and captain Dallalmuon Gangte expressed confidence ahead of the four-match group stage

Hyderabad: The India Under-17 men’s team will begin its AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers campaign against Palestine on Saturday at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.

India enter the tournament after an extensive preparation phase, which included winning the SAFF U17 Championship in September and playing two friendlies in China in October.

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At the pre-qualifiers press conference, India head coach Bibiano Fernandes said, “We began building this team in August with SAFF as the first target. The exposure matches in China helped us understand the level required, and arriving in Ahmedabad early has helped us adapt to the conditions. We are prepared and looking forward to the games.”

The Blue Colts set up camp in Goa before travelling to Ahmedabad on November 1. They have been in the city for almost three weeks, training in local conditions and finalising tactical plans for the four-match group stage, which also features Chinese Taipei, Lebanon and IR Iran. The group winners will qualify for the final tournament in Saudi Arabia next year.

Captain Dallalmuon Gangte, India’s top scorer in their SAFF U17 title win with four goals, said, “Our preparation has been going well as a team and as individuals. We understand each other, the coaches, the system, and we are looking forward to the qualifiers with confidence.”

After missing out on qualifying for the 2025 tournament, India will aim to bounce back and appear in the AFC U17 Asian Cup for the 10th time in history.

Fernandes emphasised the challenge of the tight schedule. “We must be ready to give 100 percent every match. Recovering quickly is the biggest challenge, but I’m sure the boys will put everything on the pitch,” he said.

Palestine have assembled a mixed squad featuring players from the West Bank and abroad. They completed a preparatory camp in the Maldives before travelling to India. Their head coach Mohammad Sharbji said, “India are a respectable team with strong organisation, quality players, and good preparation. It will not be easy, but we trust in ourselves.”

Chinese Taipei and Lebanon will kick off the qualifiers in Ahmedabad, meeting in the first game at 16:30.

Chinese Taipei head coach Wang Po-Min said, “We had only 10 days of training in Taiwan, but the players’ morale and condition are at their peak. Even though the preparation period was short, the boys have shown good attitude and performance. It is our first visit to India. The conditions here demand strength from every team, and we know the level will be high.”

Lebanon head coach Rami Al Ladki said, “We are very happy to be here. This is a very important tournament for us, and our main target is to represent Lebanese football in the best way possible. Playing here gives us the chance to face different teams from the region and gain the international exposure our players need.”

IR Iran will play their first game on November 24 against Chinese Taipei. Their head coach Armaghan Ahmadi said, “We know all four teams in our group. All of them are technically strong, and we expect competitive matches throughout the tournament. We respect every team, and we want to play fair play football until the end.”

The match will be streamed live on plus.fifa.com. . Tickets are available online.