The AFC U‑17 Asian Cup is the premier biennial football competition for Asian national teams featuring players aged under 17. It is organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and serves as the Asian qualification tournament for the FIFA U‑17 World Cup.
History
- Inaugurated in 1985 as the AFC U‑16 Championship, the tournament was contested by under‑16 players until a format change in 2023.
- The AFC renamed the competition the “AFC U‑17 Asian Cup” beginning with the 2023 edition, aligning the age category with that of the FIFA U‑17 World Cup.
Format
- Qualification: Member associations enter a preliminary qualification stage, typically held the year before the final tournament. Successful teams join the host nation(s) in the final tournament.
- Final tournament: Features 16 teams divided into four groups of four. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage (quarter‑finals, semi‑finals, final).
- The four semi‑finalists automatically earn berths to the forthcoming FIFA U‑17 World Cup; if the host of the World Cup is an Asian nation, the next best-placed team also qualifies.
Past champions (selected)
- 1985 – South Korea
- 1990 – Saudi Arabia
- 1994 – Japan
- 1998 – Iran
- 2002 – South Korea
- 2006 – Japan
- 2010 – North Korea
- 2014 – North Korea
- 2018 – Australia
- 2023 – Uzbekistan (defeated Japan 2–1 in the final)
Most successful teams
Japan and South Korea each have multiple titles, while Saudi Arabia, Iran, and North Korea have also achieved notable success.
Recent and upcoming editions
- The 2023 edition was hosted by Thailand in August–September 2023.
- The next edition is scheduled for 2025, with the host nation to be announced by the AFC.
The AFC U‑17 Asian Cup remains a key developmental platform for Asian youth football, providing competitive experience and a pathway to global tournaments.
