New Delhi, May 1: The head coach of India’s U-17 men’s national team, Bibiano Fernandes, announced a 23-member squad on Friday for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026, which will be held in Saudi Arabia. The ‘Blue Colts’ are currently in Doha, Qatar, where they played two friendly matches against Qatar. The team will depart for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 3.
India has been placed in ‘Group D’ alongside Australia and Uzbekistan. The Indian team will face Australia on May 6 and Uzbekistan on May 10. The fourth team in this group, the Republic of Korea, has withdrawn from the tournament, leaving it as a three-team group.
The top two teams from this group will advance to the quarter-finals, securing qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar 2026.
In preparation for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, the Indian U-17 men’s team has played several friendly matches. Recently, on April 17 and 21, India played two friendly matches against the United Arab Emirates in Samut Prakan, Thailand. India won the first match 1-0 but faced a 1-5 defeat in the second match.
Earlier in March, Bibiano Fernandes’ team played three friendly matches in Lopburi, Thailand, against Thailand (drawing 2-2), Indonesia (winning 3-0), and the Republic of Korea (losing 1-2). Following these matches, the ‘Blue Colts’ continued their training camp in Kolkata.
The squad for the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2026 includes:
Goalkeepers: Alok Nishad, Manashjyoti Baruah, Rajroop Sarkar.
Defenders: Abhishek Kumar Mandal, Indra Rana Magar, Koru Meitei Konthoujam, Lomsangjuala, Lesvin Rebello, MD Aiman Bin, Shubham Poonia.
Midfielders: Dallalamun Gangte, Denny Singh Wangkhem, Diamond Singh Thokchom, Musa Ashik Sofi, Nitishkumar Maitei Yengkhom.
Forwards: Adil Aman A, Azlan Shah, Gunleiba Wangkhirakpam, Hirannganba Seram, Rahan Ahmed, Raj Singh Wahengbam, Washington Singh Ngangom, Yuvraj Kadam.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.