DOHA: Qatar's under-17 national football team, led by coach Ahmed Madouni, is set fo the Asian Cup qualifying tournament, scheduled to take place in Doha from October 23 to 27. The competition serves as the gateway to the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup finals, which will be held in Saudi Arabia from April 3 to 20. As hosts, Qatar finds itself in Group Six alongside defending champions Japan, Mongolia, and Nepal. The young Qatari squad will be aiming to secure their twelfth appearance in the Asian Cup finals. The 23-player roster features talent drawn from several top domestic clubs, including Al Duhail, Al Sadd, Al Arabi, Al Gharafa, Qatar SC, Al Rayyan, Umm Salal, Al Ahli, and Al Markhiya. Qatar's qualifying journey kicks off on October 23 with a match against Mongolia at the Aspire Academy 7 stadium. They will then take on Nepal on October 25, before concluding the group stage with a crucial encounter against Japan on October 27. Japan, the reigning champions, will begin their campaign against Nepal at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium. A total of 43 teams are participating in the qualifiers, divided into ten groups—seven groups of four teams and three groups of five. The top team from each group, along with the five best runners-up, will advance to the finals. As hosts, Saudi Arabia has already secured a spot in the tournament. The 23-player squad includes: Adam Riyad, Saud Khamis, Mohammed Akram, Muhannad Jameel, Malik Majed, and Yazan Hani (all Al Duhail), Sheikh Ndaw, Sultan Majed, Omar Abdulaziz, Faisal Saeed, Karam Hadi, Mohammed Jihad, Ward Osama, and Tamim Al-Qadi (all Al Sadd), Ahmed Saber (Al Arabi), Emmanuel Francis and Zaid Faisal (Al Gharafa), Saif El-Din Ahmed (Qatar SC), Abdulrahman Khaled and Bakri Mohammed (Al Rayyan), Salman Anwar (Umm Salal), Abdul Aziz Younes (Al Ahli), and Youssef Salman (Al Markhiya).