In the fierce competition, the second-placed players of A, B, E, H and J teams had all lost, so the second-placed results of the five teams could not surpass our team's good record of one win and one draw in any case. Accordingly, our team has secured a place in the U17 Asian Cup Final Round as the second best team of the five.
Advancing to the final round marks a step closer for our team to embark on another U17 World Cup campaign.
It's worth noting that FIFA made significant changes to the U17 World Cup this year. From 2025, the tournament will be held annually and the number of participating teams has increased to 48. Asia will be allocated nine seats, which is undoubtedly a boon for Asian soccer. Anyone who makes it to the last eight in the U17 Asian Cup will get a direct ticket to the U17 World Cup. The other seat will be won by the eliminated team that performs the best in the group stage.
Our team will depart for Saudi Arabia in April next year to participate in the final stage of the U17 Asian Cup. If they can break through in the tournament and reach the last eight, they will have a chance to stand for the U17 World Cup. Even if they fail to make it out of the group stage, they are expected to qualify even if they are ranked ninth if they earn a win when it counts.
