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Hosts India have been drawn alongside Iran, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Group A of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-16 Championship, to be played in Goa in September-October 2016. Saudi Arabia have previosly won the tournament twice in 1985 and 1988, while Iran have won it once in 2008. 16 teams from around the confederation - including reigning champions DPR Korea, who defeated Korea Republic 2-1 in the 2014 edition final in Thailand - will be vying for top honours in the 17th edition of the competition. This will be India's seventh appearance in the tournament, with a quarterfinals finish in 2002 being their best show. Should the home team qualify for the last eight, potential opponents include two-time champions Japan as well as Australia. The top four teams from the competition will be eligible to participate in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, to be hosted by India in 2017. Should India finish among the top four, then the fifth-placed nation will also book a berth for the Under-17 World Cup, since India automatically qualify as hosts. The Final Groups Group A: India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE Group B: Australia, Japan, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan Group C: Korea Republic, Malaysia, Oman, Iraq Group D: DPR Korea, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Yemen
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