AFC U17 Asian Cup
Four-time winners Japan, 1990 champions Qatar, twice winners China PR and Indonesia make up a very interesting cast with all four aiming for a good start to the group stage.
Japan v Qatar
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Pitch C Future (Jeddah)
Kick-off: Tuesday, 19:00 (UTC+3)
Shingi Ono’s Japan will be out to reclaim the title, having suffered a quarter-final exit last year at the hands of eventual runners-up Saudi Arabia on penalties.
Maki Kitahara is one to look out for with the FC Tokyo U-18 attacking midfielder joining a long line of creative Japanese players with an eye for line-breaking passes.
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Pitch C Future (Jeddah)
Kick-off: Tuesday, 19:00 (UTC+3)
Shingi Ono’s Japan will be out to reclaim the title, having suffered a quarter-final exit last year at the hands of eventual runners-up Saudi Arabia on penalties.
Maki Kitahara is one to look out for with the FC Tokyo U-18 attacking midfielder joining a long line of creative Japanese players with an eye for line-breaking passes.
Qatar are making a return to the Finals after missing out on the 2025 edition.
With their journey coming unstuck in the group stage in their last two appearances, head coach Alvaro Mejia will be keen to get off to a good start.
With their journey coming unstuck in the group stage in their last two appearances, head coach Alvaro Mejia will be keen to get off to a good start.
#AFCU17 - Preview: Group Stage
Indonesia v China PR
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Pitch A Stars (Jeddah)
Kick-off: Tuesday, 19:30 (UTC+3)
Indonesia head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto has set a knockout stage target for the Southeast Asian side as they prepare to face China PR.
The former Garuda forward has three foreign-based players in Mike Rajasa (FC Uthrect), Matthew Baker (Melbourne City FC) and Noah Oliver (NAC Breda Youth) who he hopes can inject more quality into the team.
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City Pitch A Stars (Jeddah)
Kick-off: Tuesday, 19:30 (UTC+3)
Indonesia head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto has set a knockout stage target for the Southeast Asian side as they prepare to face China PR.
The former Garuda forward has three foreign-based players in Mike Rajasa (FC Uthrect), Matthew Baker (Melbourne City FC) and Noah Oliver (NAC Breda Youth) who he hopes can inject more quality into the team.
China PR, however, will be raring to go after an impressive qualifying campaign where they topped Group A with maximum points from five matches.
There are lots of expectations on the front pair of Zhao Songyuan and Shuai Weihao, who scored 11 and nine goals respectively in the Qualifiers.
There are lots of expectations on the front pair of Zhao Songyuan and Shuai Weihao, who scored 11 and nine goals respectively in the Qualifiers.
