The 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup will be the 19th edition of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.

Qatar’s young Maroons will take on South Korea on Friday in their Group B opener of the U-17 AFC Asian Cup Thailand 2023.

Played in four venues across three cities, Qatar will face Iran, Afghanistan, and South Korea in Group B.

Competing in this year’s edition of the tournament, Qatar is one of the 16 teams in the competition.

Japan is currently the title holder, having won in 2018, and will face India, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan in Group D.

Hosts Thailand will face off against Yemen, Malaysia, and Laos in Group A, with Tajikistan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and China encountering one another in Group C.

The tournament will be the first since 2006 to be played as an under-17 tournament, as it was rebranded from the “AFC U-16 Championship” to the “AFC U-17 Asian Cup”.

Qatar won the championship once in 1990.

The top four teams will qualify for Peru’s 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will kick off in November of this year.

Next year, Qatar’s AFC Asian Cup 2023 is set to take place featuring 24 qualifying teams.

The tournament will bring together 24 teams from across Asia to compete for the prestigious title. In total, 10 Arab teams are participating in the football event, including Qatar, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE, Jordan, Palestine, and Bahrain.

Hosts Qatar will take on China, Tajikistan, and Lebanon, with the Maroons returning to the field as defending champions.