# 2016 AFC U-16 Championship qualification

The 2016 AFC U-16 Championship qualification decided the participating teams of the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship. The tournament is the 17th edition of the AFC U-16 Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-16 national teams of Asia.
A total of 16 teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including India who qualified automatically as hosts but also competed in the qualifying stage.
Same as previous editions, the tournament acts as the AFC qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The top four teams of the final tournament will qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India as the AFC representatives, besides India who qualified automatically as hosts. If India are among the top four teams, the fifth-placed team (i.e., the losing quarter-finalist with the best record in the tournament) will also qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

## Draw

The draw for the qualifiers was held on 5 June 2015 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. A total of 45 teams entered the qualifying stage and were drawn into eleven groups.
* West Zone, with 24 entrants from Central Asia, South Asia and West Asia, had six groups of four teams.
* East Zone, with 21 entrants from ASEAN and East Asia, had one group of five teams and four groups of four teams.
The teams were seeded according to their performance in the previous season in 2014.
| | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
| West Zone (Groups A–F) | Iran  Nepal  Qatar  Uzbekistan  Saudi Arabia  Syria | Bahrain  Kuwait  Oman  Tajikistan  United Arab Emirates  Yemen | Afghanistan  India  Iraq  Kyrgyzstan  Pakistan  Palestine | Bangladesh  Jordan  Lebanon  Maldives  Sri Lanka  Turkmenistan | |
| East Zone (Groups G–K) | Australia  Japan  Malaysia  North Korea  South Korea | China  Hong Kong  Laos  Thailand  Vietnam | Brunei  Chinese Taipei  Myanmar  Philippines  Singapore | Cambodia  Guam  Macau  Mongolia  Northern Mariana | Timor-Leste |
Did not enter :
| West Zone | Bhutan |
| East Zone | Indonesia (suspended by FIFA) |

### Note

    $^1$ Non-FIFA member, ineligible for U-17 World Cup.

## Player eligibility

Players born on or after 1 January 2000 were eligible to compete in the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship.

## Format

In each group, teams played each other once at a centralised venue. The eleven group winners and the four best runners-up from all groups qualified for the final tournament. If India were one of the group winners or best runners-up, the fifth-best runner-up also qualified for the final tournament.

### Tiebreakers

The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers would be applied in the following order:
* Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
* Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
* Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
* If, after applying criteria 1 to 3, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 9 apply;
* Goal difference in all the group matches;
* Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
* Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
* Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
* Drawing of lots.

## Groups

The matches were played between 2–6 September 2015 for Group H; 12–20 September 2015 for Group G (five-team group); 16–20 September 2015 for all other groups.
* Key to colours in group tables
* Group winners and best four runners-up, and India as hosts, qualify for the finals.
* Withdrawn

### Group A

* All matches were held in Palestine.
* Times listed were UTC+3.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Uzbekistan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | +17 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Yemen | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 3 | Palestine (H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | |
| 4 | Maldives | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | −17 | 0 | |

### Group B

* All matches were held in Kyrgyzstan.
* Times listed were UTC+6.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Kyrgyzstan (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Oman | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 3 | Jordan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Nepal | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0 | |
* ↑ On 27 October 2015, the AFC announced that Nepal were penalized as a result of the player Manish Karki failing an MRI bone test. Nepal were ruled to have forfeited all three matches where the ineligible player was fielded by a 3–0 scoreline.

### Group C

* All matches were held in Qatar.
* Times listed were UTC+3.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Iraq | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Tajikistan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Qatar (H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Turkmenistan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 15 | −14 | 0 | |

### Group D

* All matches were held in Bangladesh.
* Times listed were UTC+6.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Saudi Arabia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 3 | Final tournament |
| 3 | Bangladesh (H) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0 | |
| 4 | Pakistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |

### Group E

* All matches were held in Iran.
* Times listed were UTC+4:30.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Iran (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 | India | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 6 | Final tournament as hosts |
| 3 | Bahrain | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 3 | |
| 4 | Lebanon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0 | |

### Group F

* All matches were held in Kuwait.
* Times listed were UTC+3.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Kuwait (H) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Qualified for final tournament, but suspended |
| 2 | Syria | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 3 | Afghanistan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |

### Group G

* All matches were held in Laos.
* Times listed were UTC+7.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Malaysia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 1 | +21 | 10 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Laos (H) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 3 | +10 | 8 | |
| 3 | Timor-Leste | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 2 | +16 | 7 | |
| 4 | Philippines | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 24 | −14 | 3 | |
| 5 | Northern Mariana | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 35 | −33 | 0 | |

### Group H

* All matches were held in Singapore.
* Times listed were UTC+8.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | North Korea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Thailand | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 3 | Singapore (H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 3 | |
| 4 | Cambodia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 0 | |

### Group I

* All matches were held in China.
* Times listed were UTC+8.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | South Korea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | +27 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 | China (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 6 | |
| 3 | Chinese Taipei | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 3 | |
| 4 | Macau | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 29 | −28 | 0 | |

### Group J

* All matches were held in Vietnam.
* Times listed were UTC+7.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | +17 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Vietnam (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 2 | +21 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 3 | Myanmar | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 3 | |
| 4 | Guam | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 42 | −42 | 0 | |

### Group K

* All matches were held in Mongolia.
* Times listed were UTC+9.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | +24 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 3 | |
| 3 | Mongolia (H) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 22 | −20 | 0 | |
| 4 | Brunei | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |

## Ranking of second-placed teams

The ranking among the runner-up team of all groups are determined as follows:
* Greater number of points obtained in the group matches;
* Greater goal difference resulting from the group matches;
* Greater number of goals scored in group matches;
* Greater number of wins in the group matches;
* Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
* Drawing of lots.
In order to ensure equality when comparing the runner-up team of all groups, the results of the matches against the fourth-placed and fifth-placed teams in the groups having four or five teams are ignored due to Groups D, F and K having only three teams after one of the teams in the group withdrew.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | J | Vietnam | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 | Final tournament |
| 2 | H | Thailand | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 3 | Final tournament |
| 3 | E | India | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 3 | Final tournament as hosts |
| 4 | D | United Arab Emirates | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 3 | Final tournament |
| 5 | B | Oman | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | Final tournament |
| 6 | A | Yemen | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | Qualified in Final tournament for the suspension of Kuwait made by FIFA. |
| 7 | C | Tajikistan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
| 8 | I | China | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 3 | |
| 9 | K | Hong Kong | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 3 | |
| 10 | F | Syria | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 11 | G | Laos | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
* 1 2 Vietnam and Thailand are ranked by disciplinary points.
* 1 2 Syria and Laos are ranked by disciplinary points.

## Qualified teams

The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament |
| India | Hosts and 3rd best runners-up | 3 June 2015 | 6 (1990, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012) |
| Uzbekistan | Group A winners | 20 September 2015 | 8 (1994, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014) |
| Kyrgyzstan | Group B winners | 27 October 2015 | 0 (debut) |
| Iraq | Group C winners | 20 September 2015 | 8 (1985, 1988, 1994, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012) |
| Saudi Arabia | Group D winners | 20 September 2015 | 9 (1985, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014) |
| Iran | Group E winners | 20 September 2015 | 9 (1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014) |
| Malaysia | Group G winners | 20 September 2015 | 3 (2004, 2008, 2014) |
| North Korea | Group H winners | 6 September 2015 | 9 (1986, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014) |
| South Korea | Group I winners | 20 September 2015 | 11 (1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014) |
| Australia | Group J winners | 20 September 2015 | 4 (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014) |
| Japan | Group K winners | 20 September 2015 | 12 (1988, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014) |
| Vietnam | 1st best runners-up | 20 September 2015 | 5 (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010) |
| Thailand | 2nd best runners-up | 20 September 2015 | 9 (1985, 1988, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2014) |
| United Arab Emirates | 4th best runners-up | 20 September 2015 | 6 (1990, 1992, 1994, 2002, 2008, 2010) |
| Oman | 5th best runners-up | 20 September 2015 | 8 (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014) |
| Yemen | 6th best runners-up | 28 May 2016 | 4 (2002, 2006, 2008, 2012) |
    $^2$ Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.

## Goalscorers

6 goals
* Park Jeong-in
* Rasul Yuldoshov
5 goals
* Alaa Adnan Jabbar
* Takefusa Kubo
* Izreen Izwandy
* Shin Sang-whi
* João Pedro
* Trần Văn Đạt
4 goals
* Suresh Singh Wangjam
* Rei Hirakawa
* Iqbal Hakem
* Alif Safwan
* Kyaw Kyaw Htet
* Fidel Tacardon
* Hamad Al-Abdan
* Lee Dong-ryul
* Korawich Tasa
* Danilson Araújo
* Majed Rashed
* Abubakir Muydinov
* Bùi Anh Đức
3 goals
* Mirza Muratovic
* Ahmed Sweedan
* Wu Zewei
* Mohammad Sharifi
* Taisei Miyashiro
* Keito Nakamura
* Akito Tanahashi
* Xayyaphon Sengsavang
* Arif Shaqirin
* Htun Sai
* Rejin Subba
* Kung Jin-song
* Mariano Suba
* Dom Lucas
* Abdunozir Abdurakhmonov
* Mạch Ngọc Hà
* Nguyễn Duy Khiêm
2 goals
* Rahmat Akbari
* Jaidon Selden
* Khaled Abdulrahim
* Chen Rong
* Zhou Junchen
* Ethan Yeung Yat Yung
* Aman Chetri
* Mohammad Reza Ghobeishavi
* Ayumu Seko
* Yukinari Sugawara
* Muhannad Abu Awad
* Emir Shigaibaev
* Boualapha Chaleunsouk
* Nilanh Inthapanya
* Nilan Luangsisombath
* Hein Htet Aung
* Dinesh Hemjan
* Kim Chung-jin
* Kye Tam
* Mohammed Al-Khamisi
* Ahmed Eleyan
* Hisham Ali
* Naif Almas
* Kim Dong-bum
* Ko Jun-hee
* Park Chan-bin
* Yong Dong-hyun
* Ziyovuddin Fuzaylov
* Jinnawat Russamee
* Jelito
* Nguyễn Khắc Khiêm
* Vũ Đình Hai
* Waleed Aswad
* Murad Murshed
* Abdulmajeed Sabarah
1 goal
* Amir Ali
* Omid Haidar Saneh
* Lachlan Brook
* Antonis Martis
* Mersim Memeti
* Mark Moric
* Ramy Najjarine
* Andrew Visciglio
* Ryan Yates
* Sarwar Zaman Nipu
* Mohammad Shawon
* Sieng Chanthea
* Chen Quanjiang
* Geng Taili
* Sun Qinhan
* Zhu Chenjie
* Chen Wei-tze
* Tsai Cheng-ju
* Chan Ka Shing
* Jonathan Linux Cheung
* Erik Anders Whilborn
* Gaston D’Silva
* Amarjit Singh Kiyam
* Boris Singh Thangjam
* Komal Thatal
* Mohammad Reza Davari
* Mohammad Ghaderi
* Mohsen Godarzi
* Amir Khodamoradi
* Vahid Namdari
* Erfan Sadeghi
* Mohammad Sardari
* Muntadher Abdulsada
* Mohammed Ridha Jalil
* Ahmed Sartip Omar
* Saleh Mahdi Saleh
* Toichi Suzuki
* Hiroto Yamada
* Laith Hbowal
* Khaled Radi Kourdi
* Jasem Rashed
* Gulzhigit Alykulov
* Gulzhigit Boubaev
* Maksat Dzhakybaliev
* Timur Uulu Orzobek
* Bounphachan Bounkong
* Saya Monlangsy
* Thatthaya Phoutthavong
* Jawad Abdullah
* Mahmoud Kaawar
* Leung Chi Seng
* Nor Amirul
* Azrin Azahari
* Zainul Arifin
* Aliff Haiqal
* Najmi Idham
* Aung Chit Oo Ko Ko
* Bo Bo Aung
* Thet Paing Htoo
* Khosbayar Bayarkhuu
* Bat-Erdene Erdenechimeg
* Manish Bahadur Karki
* Prezen Tamang
* Kim Kyong-sok
* Kwon Nam-hyok
* Paek Kwang-min
* Ri Song-jin
* Yun Min
* Anthony Fruit
* Sunjoon Tenorio
* Mutassim Al-Bakri
* Mohammed Al-Qaidi
* Thamer Al-Zaabi
* Ahmed Aburdaha
* Jelani Borbon
* Kier Napolitano
* Kyle Ronquillo
* Ahmed Al Ganehi
* Mohammad Bahramen
* Saleh Saeed
* Dhari Al-Anazi
* Ali Al-Shaikhi
* Mohammed Mansour Mali
* Abdulaziz Al-Dhuwayhi
* Firas Al-Buraikan
* Khairul Hairie
* Irfan Jeferee
* Glenn Kweh
* Cheon Seong-hoon
* Kim Tae-hwan
* Son Jae-hyeok
* Yu Je-ho
* Mohammad Fares Kanaan
* Mohammad Malta
* Vahdat Hanonov
* Mubindzhon Muminov
* Faridun Nematov
* Avaz Qamchinov
* Yafet Belima
* Filomeno Junior da Costa
* Armindo Vieira
* Orcelio
* Kerim Garabekow
* Abdulla Al-Naqbi
* Ali Saleh
* Sultan Saeed
* Abdulkhay Ismoilov
* Islom Karimov
* Ikhtiyor Kholdorov
* Shukhrat Nematov
* Bakhromjon Soatov
* Oston Urunov
* Nguyễn Hữu Thắng
* Nguyễn Huỳnh Sang
* Nguyễn Trọng Long
* Uông Ngọc Tiến
* Mohammed Al-Hamdani
* Mukhtar Al-Khalil
* Ahmed Hamed Saeed
1 own goal
* Xavier Naputi (against Australia)
* Habib Antoine Baladi (against India)
* Mohamed Azhan Hamid (against Yemen)
* Prichi James (against Malaysia)
* Abdulaziz Al-Malki (against United Arab Emirates)
* Salvador Varela (against Laos)
* Agajan Jumaýew (against Tajikistan)
    Source: the-afc.com