Sri Lanka was drawn in group B of the AFC U19 Championship 2018 Qualifiers at the official draw conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Forty-three Asian hopefuls now know their qualifying opponents following the draw. 2016 champions, Japan, having finally claimed the crown after six previous appearances in the final, will face Thailand, Singapore and Mongolia, who are scheduled to host the Group I qualifiers.
Sri Lanka will face two fellow South Asian nations – Maldives & Bangladesh – alongside Uzbekistan and hosts Tajikistan.
Saudi Arabia, runners-up at the 2016 edition will welcome Yemen, Turkmenistan and India in Group D, while 2016 semi-finalists and Group E hosts, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will meet Palestine, Jordan and Syria.
Meanwhile, Korea Republic, who have won the competition twelve times, will play host to a five-team Group F which also features Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia.
Ten (10) group winners and five (5) best second-placed teams will advance to finals along with the host country. The AFC U-19 Championship qualifying stage is scheduled to take place from October 31 to November 8, 2017.
WEST Zone
Group A – Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Nepal, Kyrgyz Republic (Host for qualifiers)
Group B – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan (Host for qualifiers), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives
Group C – Iraq, Qatar (Host for qualifiers), Lebanon, Afghanistan
Group D – Saudi Arabia (Host for qualifiers), Yemen, Turkmenistan, India
Group E – Islamic Republic of Iran (Host for qualifiers), Palestine, Jordan, SyriaEAST Zone
Group F – Korea Republic (Host for qualifiers), Malaysia, Timor-Leste, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia
Group G – China PR, Myanmar, Philippines, Cambodia (Host for qualifiers)
Group H – Vietnam, Laos, Chinese Taipei, Macau
Group I – Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Mongolia (Host for qualifiers)
Group J – Australia, DPR Korea, Hong Kong, Northern Mariana Islands
