Defending champions and hosts Japan have been drawn in an easy group for the ninth edition of the AFC Futsal Championship which will take place from 13-19 May in the twin venues of Osaka and Hyogo. "Japan, who defeated Uzbekistan in the final last year in Tashkent, should face little difficulty in advancing to the last eight from Group A after being bracketed with ASEAN minnows and qualifiers Philippines, Hong Kong and Tajikistan," AFCMedia reported.
Sixteen teams came out of the pots at the Japan Football Museum to be slotted into four groups of four teams each. While Groups A and B will play their matches in Osaka, Groups C and D will go into action at Hyogo. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals. The final will be played in Osaka on 19 May.
Group A (Osaka): Japan, Tajikistan, Hong Kong, Philippines
Group B (Osaka): Uzbekistan, Thailand, Kuwait, Iraq
Group C (Hyogo): Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Turkmenistan, South Korea
Group D (Hyogo): Iran, China, Malaysia, Lebanon
Sixteen teams came out of the pots at the Japan Football Museum to be slotted into four groups of four teams each. While Groups A and B will play their matches in Osaka, Groups C and D will go into action at Hyogo. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals. The final will be played in Osaka on 19 May.
Group A (Osaka): Japan, Tajikistan, Hong Kong, Philippines
Group B (Osaka): Uzbekistan, Thailand, Kuwait, Iraq
Group C (Hyogo): Kyrgyzstan, Australia, Turkmenistan, South Korea
Group D (Hyogo): Iran, China, Malaysia, Lebanon