Doha to Conduct AFC U-23 Draw on September 12

Doha, July 13 (QNA) - The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) family will descend on the Qatari capital for the draws of the AFC U-23 Cup in September, it was announced on Monday. The draws will be conducted on September 12, AFC said on Monday. The top three sides at the Doha event will qualify to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games next year. In total, 16 teams will compete for honours and they include host nation Qatar, the 10 qualifying group winners and the five teams who finished as the best second placed sides during qualification. The competition, which will see Iraq defending the title they won in 2013, will begin on January 12, 2016 with the final set to be played on January 30, 2016. The teams are: Qatar hosts, Iraq winners Group A, Jordan Winners Group B, Saudi Arabia Winners Group C, United Arab Emirates Winners Group D, Syria Winners Group E, Australia Winners Group F, DPR Korea Winners Group G, Korea Republic Winners Group H, Japan Winners Group I, China Winners Group J, Thailand 1st best second placed team, Iran 2nd best second placed team, Vietnam 3rd best second placed team, Yemen 4th best second placed team, Uzbekistan 5th best second placed team. (QNA)