Without Qualifying, Indonesia U-17 Qualifies For The 2026 U-17 Asian Cup

The U-17 Indonesian national team got a ticket to the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup because they appeared in the 2025 U-17 World Cup (doc. Indonesian national team).

JAKARTA - Good news came from the U-17 Indonesian national team who were confirmed to appear in the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup without holding qualifying matches like other countries.

The certainty of the U-17 Indonesian national team to qualify directly for the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup because previously they had appeared in the 2025 U-17 World Cup. A total of nine Asian teams that appeared in the 2025 U-17 World Cup were declared to have qualified directly for the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup.

In addition to Indonesia U-17, the route is filled by Japan, North Korea, Qatar, South Korea, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia which also acts as the host of the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup.

This event will take place in Saudi Arabia on 7-24 May 2026. The qualifying round will take place from 22 November 2025 in seven countries which are attended by 38 countries.

Of that number, only seven teams have the right to qualify for the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup. The seven teams are leaders of the respective groups.

The 2026 U-17 Asian Cup is also a qualifying event for the 2026 U-17 World Cup. A total of eight teams, excluding Qatar hosts who will definitely qualify for the 2026 U-17 World Cup, will compete for tickets for the final round.

The 2026 U-17 Asian Cup will be divided into four groups where each group contains four teams. From the group, the group has the status of champions and group runners-up will qualify for the last eight which automatically guarantees qualifying for the 2026 U-17 World Cup.

Although it has been confirmed that they have qualified for the 2026 U-17 Asian Cup, the U-17 Indonesian national team squad has not yet been formed by PSSI.

The plan is that the new Garuda Muda squad will begin to be formed in December 2025 as well as determine a new coach.