The India U-23 national team has been handed a tough draw in the AFC U-23 Championship China 2018 Qualifiers. India will face Qatar, Syria and Turkmenistan in Group C.

A total of 40 countries will be involved in the Qualifiers to take place from July 19 to 23, 2017 in the respective host countries. India’s Group C will be hosted by 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar.

The ten group winners and five best second-placed teams among all the groups will advance to the finals to be hosted in China early next year. China will be participating in the Qualifiers although they are directly qualified to the finals as a host.

India will kick-off its qualifying campaign against Syria on July 19.

WEST Zone (West + South + Central)

Group A
A1. ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
A2. OMAN
A3. KYRGYZ REPUBLIC (host)
A4. SRI LANKA

Group B
B1. IRAQ
B2. SAUDI ARABIA (host)
B3. BAHRAIN
B4. AFGHANISTAN

Group C
C1. QATAR (host)
C2. SYRIA
C3. INDIA
C4. TURKMENISTAN

Group D
D1. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (host)
D2. UZBEKISTAN
D3. LEBANON
D4. NEPAL

Group E
E1. JORDAN
E2. TAJIKISTAN
E3. PALESTINE (host)
E4. BANGLADESH

EAST Zone (East + ASEAN)

Group F
F1. AUSTRALIA
F2. MYANMAR (host)
F3. SINGAPORE
F4. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Group G
G1. DPR KOREA (host)
G2. LAOS
G3. CHINESE TAIPEI
G4. HONG KONG

Group H
H1. THAILAND (host)
H2. INDONESIA
H3. MALAYSIA
H4. MONGOLIA

Group I
I1. KOREA REPUBLIC
I2. VIETNAM (host)
I3. TIMOR-LESTE
I4. MACAU

Group J
J1. JAPAN
J2. CHINA PR (host)
J3. CAMBODIA
J4. PHILIPPINES

Fixtures for AFC U-23 Championship China 2018 Qualifiers Matchday One, July 19, 2017:

Group A
Islamic Republic of Iran v Sri Lanka
Oman v Kyrgyz Republic

Group B
Iraq v Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia v Bahrain

Group C
Qatar v Turkmenistan
Syria v India

Group D
United Arab Emirates v Nepal
Uzbekistan v Lebanon

Group E
Jordan v Bangladesh
Tajikistan v Palestine

Group F
Australia v Brunei Darussalam
Myanmar v Singapore

Group G
DPR Korea v Hong Kong
Laos v Chinese Taipei

Group H
Thailand v Mongolia
Indonesia v Malaysia

Group I
Korea Republic v Macau
Vietnam v Timor-Leste

Group J
Japan v Philippines
China PR v Cambodia

(Image courtesy: The Asian Football Confederation)