Hong Kong holds Iraq in U17 Asian qualifying
Shafaq News- Samet
Iraq’s under-17 national team opened its 2027 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against Hong Kong in Thailand on Sunday, the Asian Football Confederation said.
Iraq led 1-0 at halftime before Hong Kong equalized in the second half, leaving both teams with one point. The match kicked off at Buriram City Stadium.
Group B also includes Chinese Taipei, the Maldives and host Thailand. The AFC said only the winners of the seven five-team qualifying groups will advance to the finals, joining nine automatically qualified teams representing Asia at the 2026 U17 World Cup in Qatar.
The finals will take place in Uzbekistan from May 12 to 29, 2027, the Thai football association said. The tournament will determine Asia’s eight representatives at the 2027 U17 World Cup, also in Qatar.
Iraq next faces Chinese Taipei on Saturday, November 14, and the Maldives on Tuesday, November 17, with both matches starting at 11 a.m. Baghdad time. It concludes its campaign against Thailand on Friday, November 20.
