May 1 – The AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup is set for a return after a five-year hiatus, with Indonesia gearing up to host the competition for the first time later this month.
Scheduled to take place from May 6-19, the tournament will be played in the Bali region – a popular tourist destination.
Indonesia, securing an automatic qualification as hosts, will be accompanied by the top three seeded teams from the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Thailand 2019: defending champions Japan, North Korea, and China, despite none of the 2019 players being available for this year’s tournament due to obvious age restrictions.
The other four teams, Australia, Korea Republic, Thailand, and the Philippines, earned their spots by successfully navigating through two qualifying rounds.
The top three finishers will qualify for the U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic later this year.
China, Japan, Korea Republic, and Thailand are the only nations to have secured qualification for all nine editions of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup so far. In contrast, this month’s edition will mark the Philippines’ debut in the tournament.
The opening match will see North Korea face off against South Korea in Group A at the Bali United Training Centre.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734896537labto1734896537ofdlr1734896537owedi1734896537sni@g1734896537niwe.1734896537yrrah1734896537
