AFC women events

Pakistan, India placed in same group

By Our correspondent

KARACHI: Pakistan and India were on Wednesday clubbed in the same groups in both the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-19 Women’s Championship 2019 Qualifiers and AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship 2019 Qualifiers as the continental body unveiled draws for both the events in its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

In the 27-team AFC Under-19 Women’s Championship 2019 qualifiers Pakistan and India would be joined in Group B by hosts Thailand, Nepal and Singapore. Japan, DPR Korea and China, who were the top three teams in the 2017 edition, received direct qualification to the 2019 Finals, the AFC said.

The qualifying campaign will consist of two rounds. In the Qualifiers Round 1, the group winners from and two best second-placed teams will progress to Round 2, where the top four teams would then advance to the finals. Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Thailand have expressed interest to host the Qualifiers, the continental body said. Australia, who missed out on third place in 2017 after a 3-0 loss to China, will face Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Lebanon and newcomers Mongolia in Group A. Kyrgyzstan, who will host Group C, have Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Guam and Maldives for company. In Group D, Tajikistan will play hosts to two-time champions Korea Republic, Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei, runners-up of the inaugural edition in 2002.

Malaysia return to the AFC Under-19 Women’s Championship since their last participation in 2006 and are grouped alongside Vietnam, Jordan and Northern Mariana Islands in Group E. Group F hosts Myanmar will be up against Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine and tournament debutants Laos. In the Qualifiers Round 1, the groups with five teams will kick-off their qualifying campaign on October 20 to 28, 2018, while the groups with four teams will play from October 24 to 28, 2018. The Round 2 of the Qualifiers will be held next year on April 22 to 30. The AFC said that the hosts and dates for the finals will be announced in due course.

Meanwhile in the AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship Qualifiers Group B Pakistan were bracketed with India, hosts Mongolia, Laos, and Hong Kong. DPR Korea, Korea Republic and Japan, the top three finishers in the 2017 edition, received direct qualification to the Finals. Thirty teams from across Asia will be vying for eight spots in Round 2 of the Qualifiers, where the teams will then be divided into two groups of four teams, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Finals in 2019.

Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan will play hosts to Round 1 of the Qualifiers. Each group will play a one-round league in a centralised venue. Sri Lanka will host Group A of the Qualifiers Round 1, alongside China - fourth in the 2017 edition, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Guam, who all have made one appearance in the Finals in previous editions. Tournament debutants Mongolia are set to welcome Laos, India, Hong Kong and newcomers Pakistan in Group B. Thailand, hosts of the 2017 Finals, will travel to Tajikistan, alongside Islamic Republic of Iran Northern Mariana Islands and Singapore for the Group C ties.

Australia, who came up short in the 2017 Finals when they missed a spot in the knockout stage after finishing third in the group stage, will meet Chinese Taipei, Kyrgyzstan (hosts), Palestine and Indonesia in Group D. Group E hosts Nepal are grouped with Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia and Syria while in Group F, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Lebanon will travel to Bangladesh.

The Qualifiers Round 1 will be played on September 15 to 23, 2018 while the Qualifiers Round 2 will be held on February 23 to March 3, 2019.The dates and hosts for the Finals will be announced in due course, the AFC said.