Futsal players learn rivals at AFC C’ship

TEHRAN, Apr. 04 (MNA) – National Iranian futsal team has been drawn in Group D of 2017 AFC U-20 Futsal Championship. The draw ceremony for the Asian futsal tournament was held and Iran was seeded against Kyrgyzstan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and Mongolia in Group D. Group A of the sportive event comprises host Thailand, Iraq, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Bahrain and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Vietnam, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan and Indonesia will play in Group B. Furthermore, national futsal teams of Uzbekistan, Qatar, Lebanon, Myanmar and Hong Kong have been placed in Group C. The 2017 AFC U-20 Futsal Championship will be the first edition of the AFC U-20 Futsal Championship, the biennial international futsal championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's youth national teams of Asia. Hosted by Thailand, the inaugural competition will be attended by a total of 21 teams. The 21 teams will be divided into four groups (one with six teams and three with five teams), with the group winners and runners-up advancing to the quarter-finals. The tournament will serve as qualifying for the futsal tournament at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, with the winner and the runner-up qualifying for the boys' tournament, where they will be represented by their U-18 representative teams.