Muscat, Oman: The final cast of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023™ will be determined when Asia’s future stars showcase their talent at the Qualifiers which will kick off in ten centralised venues across the Continent on Saturday, October 1, 2022. Formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship before the rebrand, the AFC U17 Asian Cup™ will mark the return of U17 competition in Asia following the last edition which was played in 2006. Divided into five groups of four, four groups of five, and one group of three, the Qualifiers will feature 43 Member Associations (MAs) vying for 16 available seats – 10 group winners and six best runners-up who will battle for the coveted AFC U17 Asian Cup™ trophy next year.   The Qualifiers will kick off on October 1. Three former champions, Oman, Iraq, and Qatar have been pitted against each other in Group C where they are joined by Lebanon and Bahrain.   Matches in this group will start with a face-off between Qatar and Iraq at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman, at 5pm. Bahrain and Lebanon are set to square off later in the day while the hosts begin their campaign in two days’ time against Lebanon.