NT U-17 Girls' continues its continental presence with participation in the 2027 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers

2026-07-16
12:43:41

The draw for the 2027 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualifiers was held today, Thursday, at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thirty Asian national teams participated, and the draw placed the national team in Group B alongside Indonesia, Bahrain, and hosts Singapore.
The group stage matches will be held from October 5th to 11th, 2026, with the top team from each group qualifying for the finals scheduled to be held in China in 2027.
This marks the second participation of the Saudi Arabian U-17 Girls' National Team in the continental qualifiers, following their debut in the 2026 edition. In that year, the Kingdom hosted the Group B matches in Al-Khobar, where the Green Falcons delivered impressive performances, securing a resounding 11-0 victory over Kuwait, drawing 2-2 with Lebanon, and suffering a 2-0 defeat against Iran.
The Saudi team finished third in the group with four points, a valuable experience that proved to be a significant step forward for the team and a valuable opportunity to gain experience at the Asian level.
This participation represents a crucial milestone for the U-17 Girls' National Team, providing an opportunity to maintain their presence in continental competitions and assess the players' progress against various Asian teams. This will enhance their readiness for future tournaments and contribute to the continued growth of women's football in the Kingdom.
The Director of Women's Football at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Alia Al-Rashid, affirmed that the national team's second participation in the Asian qualifiers represents an achievement that reflects the rapid development of the sport. She noted that the first experience contributed to building valuable expertise for the players and coaching staff.
"We are proud of the U-17 national team's participation in the Asian qualifiers for the second time. This is the fruit of continuous work to develop age-group categories and provide players with opportunities to compete internationally. We look forward to the players delivering performances that reflect the significant progress women's football is witnessing, and we hope this participation will be a continuation of our efforts to prepare a promising generation.", she added.