Manama: With Saturday's final draw for this year's AFC U-19 Championship in Bahrain almost upon us, join the-afc.com as we take a look at the teams who will be vying to emulate Qatar's 2014 success come October.
Click here for all the qualifying results and group tables
BAHRAIN
Qualified as: Hosts
Appearance: 9th
Best performance: Runners-up (1986)
Last time out: Did not qualify
As hosts of the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship, Bahrain will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Thailand, IR Iran, Saudi Arabia and Korea Republic – all of who have emerged as champions on home soil.
The Bahrainis will be making their first appearance since 2010, qualified automatically as hosts but also took part in the qualification campaign where they finished third in Group F behind Iraq and Tajikistan.
Mohamed Jasim Mohamed Ali Abdulla Marhoon was a standout for them by scoring four of their seven goals, and he can be expected to play a key role if they are to emulate their best-ever display in 1986 when they finished runners-up after a 2-0 loss to the Saudis in the final.
UZBEKISTAN
Qualified as: Group A winners
Appearance: 7th
Best performance: Runners-up (2008)
Last time out: Eliminated in semi-finals (lost 5-0 to DPR Korea)
Uzbekistan have been one of the better performers in recent years, reaching the semi-finals both in 2012 and 2014.
They did come up short by quite a margin two years ago however when they were beaten 5-0 by DPR Korea in the last four, but had no problems booking their spot a fifth straight appearance after finishing top of Group A with a maximum nine points from three matches.
To date, the furthest they have gone in the tournament came in 2008 when they reached the final before narrowly losing 2-1 to United Arab Emirates, with that team having produced current senior internationals like Fozil Musaev and Islom Tukhtakhodjaev.
SAUDI ARABIA
Qualified as: Group B winners
Appearance: 13th
Best performance: Champions (1986, 1992)
Last time out: Did not qualify
Surprisingly, given their reputation as one of the continent’s heavyweights, Saudi Arabia have not had the best of times in the U-19 Championship in the previous two editions, having been eliminated in the group stage in 2012, before failing to qualify altogether two years ago.
However, the Green Falcons – champions in 1986 and 1992 – made amends by comfortably qualifying this time around after finishing top of Group B, beating Turkmenistan, Syria and Yemen and scoring 11 goals while conceding just once.
The jury is still out on whether the Saudis will have what it takes to challenge for top honours, although the likes of Abdulrahman Alyami and Ayman Alkhulaif will ensure they have plenty of firepower to call upon.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Qualified as: Group C winners
Appearance: 13th
Best performance: Champions (2008)
Last time out: Eliminated in quarter-finals (lost 1-0 to Myanmar)
Champions in 2008, United Arab Emirates have since struggled to return to such lofty heights having twice been eliminated in the quarter-finals and once in the group stage in the three editions since.
Two years ago, they looked in a strong position to at least reach the last four after advancing to the quarter-finals only to lose 1-0 to Myanmar, the surprise package of 2014.
Already, however, there are ominous signs the UAE could mean business come October especially after scoring 15 goals and conceding none in three games en route to topping Group C in the qualifiers, with Majid Mohd Lafi Hamad Almehairi in lethal form with six goals.
QATAR
Qualified as: Group D winners
Appearance: 13th
Best performance: Champions (2014)
Last time out: Champions (beat DPR Korea 1-0)
It was Qatar who were the ones celebrating in Myanmar two years ago when they beat DPR Korea 1-0 to win their maiden crown, and their status as defending champions will see them enter the tournament as one of the favourites.
Despite being handed what could have been a tricky route to the tournament, they delivered the goods by opening the qualifiers with a 7-1 rout of Kyrgyzstan, before following up with 4-0 and 2-1 triumphs over Lebanon and Oman respectively to finish top of Group D.
Sayed Issa and Khalid Muneer Mazeed were their top scorers with three goals apiece, but it was the entire team’s ability to share the workload that is shaping up to be one of their main strengths when the competition kicks off.
IR IRAN
Qualified as: Group E winners
Appearance: 20th
Best performance: Champions (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976)
Last time out: Eliminated in group stage (4th in Group A with three points, one behind second-placed Myanmar and third-placed Yemen)
Despite being one of Asia’s traditional giants, IR Iran have not won the U-19 Championship since claiming four consecutive titles from 1973 to 1976.
They did however have no problems qualifying for this year’s edition as winners of Group E with a 100 per cent record, and will be determined to do better than two years ago, when they were eliminated in the group stage after finishing behind Thailand, Myanmar and Yemen.
IR Iran’s senior side have enjoyed some excellent results recently and have strengthened their grip on being the continent’s number one side in the FIFA world rankings, and the pressure will now be on the U-19s to back that up.
IRAQ
Qualified as: Group F winners
Appearance: 16th
Best performance: Champions (1975, 1977, 1978, 1988, 2000)
Last time out: Eliminated in group stage (finished third in Group D with four points, lost out to DPR Korea on head-to-head)
Iraq agonisingly missed out on the quarter-finals of the U-19 Championship last time out, finishing behind second-placed DPR Korea in Group D only on account of their head-to-head record.
The Iraqis have had plenty of success in the competition previously with five titles to their name, although only one of those triumphs has come after 1988.
Iraq headed into last year’s qualification campaign looking to seal a seventh consecutive appearance and had no problems delivering the goods, beating Tajikistan, Maldives and Bahrain comfortably to finish top of Group F.
VIETNAM
Qualified as: Group G winners
Appearance: 7th
Best performance: Group Stage (2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2014)
Last time out: Eliminated in group stage (bottom of Group C with one point)
Vietnam will be making their seventh appearance at the U-19 Championship after sealing their berth by finishing top of Group G in the qualifiers.
They enjoyed a 100 per cent record in the campaign but were made to work for it after comfortable triumphs over Hong Kong and Brunei Darussalam were followed by single-goal victories against Timor-Leste and Myanmar, with Ha Duc Chinh their brightest spark following his three-goal haul.
The Vietnamese have been regulars in the tournament in recent times and are preparing for their seventh appearance in the last eight editions.
NB – South Vietnam competed at 11 U-19 Championships between 1961 and 1974
KOREA REPUBLIC
Qualified as: Group H winners
Appearance: 37th
Best performance: Champions (1959, 1960, 1963, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2012)
Last time out: Eliminated in group stage (finished third in Group C with four points)
As the record appearance makers of the U-19 Championship with 36 previous participations, Korea Republic will once again head to the tournament as serious contenders.
There can be no denying their dominance given they are the most successful team in the competition’s history with 12 titles, with at least one triumph per decade since the inaugural edition in 1959.
They brushed aside all comers in qualifying as they topped Group H with four wins from four, scoring 26 goals and conceding just four courtesy of some impressive displays from players like Lee Dong-jun and Kang Ji-hun.
CHINA PR
Qualified as: Group I winners
Appearance: 17th
Best performance: Champions (1985)
Last time out: Eliminated in quarter-finals (lost 4-2 to Qatar)
It has been 31 years since China last won the U-19 Championship and, since then, the closest they have come to repeating the feat has been in 1996 and 2004, when they reached the final but lost to Korea Republic on both occasions.
Two years ago, they did well to advance to the knockout round from a group that also included Japan and the South Koreans, only to lose to eventual champions Qatar 4-2 in the quarter-finals.
They had no problems in securing a 17th appearance this October after finishing top of Group I in qualification, as Zhang Yuning’s five goals helped them notch three straight victories, scoring 16 and conceding none in the process.
JAPAN
Qualified as: Group J winners
Appearance: 36th
Best performance: Runners-up (1973, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006)
Last time out: Eliminated in quarter-finals (lost 5-4 on penalties to DPR Korea after 1-1 draw)
Considering they are the tournament’s second-highest appearance makers behind only Korea Republic, it is quite remarkable that Japan have never being crowned U-19 champions, especially given the successes of the senior and U-23 teams.
They have been runners-up on six separate occasions but were disappointingly eliminated in the last eight back in 2014, losing 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw with DPR Korea.
There is no shortage of talent at coach Atsushi Uchiyama’s with Yuta Nakayama, Akito Takagi and Hiroki Noda leading the way, but only time will tell if 2016 is the year they finally end their drought and win their first-ever U-19 Championship.
TAJIKISTAN
Qualified as: Group F runners-up (1st best)
Appearance: 3rd
Best performance: Group stage (2006, 2008)
Last time out: Did not qualify
Following an eight-year absence, Tajikistan will return to the U-19 Championship in October after sealing their spot as the best runners-up in qualification.
Although their Group F campaign did not get off to the best start last October as they were beaten 2-0 by Iraq, they responded well to beat Bahrain 3-2 before recording an emphatic 8-0 triumph over Maldives to finish second behind the Iraqis.
2016 will mark the Tajiks third appearance at the U-19 Championship, although they are yet to reach the knockout round after group-stage eliminations in 2006 and 2008.
AUSTRALIA
Qualified as: Group J runners-up (2nd best)
Appearance: 6th
Best performance: Runners-up (2010)
Last time out: Eliminated in group stage (3rd in Group B with five points, lost out to UAE and Uzbekistan on head-to-head)
Since joining the AFC in 2006, Australia have never failed to qualify for the U-19 Championship, reaching the semi-finals twice and finishing second once from 2008 to 2012 before failing to advance out of the group stage for the first time two years ago.
They could count themselves extremely unlucky not to have reached the knockout round after a three-way tie with United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan saw them lose out in the head-to-head comparison on goals scored.
While they failed to finish top of their group in the qualifiers after Japan claim first place in Group J, victories over Philippines and Laos were enough to see them book their ticket to Bahrain as the second-best runners-up.
THAILAND
Qualified as: Group H runners-up (3rd best)
Appearance: 32nd
Best performance: Champions (1962, 1969)
Last time out: Eliminated in quarter-finals (lost 2-1 to Uzbekistan)
Thailand are no strangers to the U-19 Championship, having qualified for the last 12 editions, and are even two-time winners of the tournament, although you have to rewind to 1969 to find the last time they won the tournament thanks to a 2-2 draw with Myanmar when the title was still shared.
It was always going to be tough for them to qualify as group winners given they were drawn in Group H alongside Korea Republic, but they were never really at risk of finishing outside the top two and ultimately sealed their berth as the third-best runners-up.
Two years ago in Myanmar, the War Elephants did well to finish top of a group also including Myanmar, Yemen and IR Iran, but were then booted out of the quarter-finals after a 2-1 defeat to Uzbekistan.
DPR KOREA
Qualified as: Group I runners-up (4th best)
Appearance: 12th
Best performance: Champions (1976, 2006, 2010)
Last time out: Runners-up (lost 1-0 to Qatar)
Runners-up last time out following a 1-0 loss to Qatar; DPR Korea will be hoping to go one further in 2016 but were made to sweat before finding out if they had done enough to qualify for the tournament.
After kicking off their Group I with a convincing 6-0 triumph over Macau, they could only manage a 1-0 win against Malaysia and a 3-0 defeat to China then left them having to settle for second spot, although they ultimately did enough to finish as the fourth-best team in runners-up rankings.
With three previous titles to their name – the last of which coming in 2010 – DPR Korea certainly have pedigree in the competition, but will be heavily relying on starlets Han Il-hyok and Pak Kwang-chon to fire them to success.
YEMEN
Qualified as: Group B runners-up (5th best)
Appearance: 6th
Best performance: Group stage (1978, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014)
Last time out: Eliminated in group stage (3rd in Group A with four points, lost out to Myanmar on goal difference)
Yemeni football has taken big steps in the past decade or so and the U-19s have certainly played their part in the progress, having qualified for four of the last six editions of the U-19 Championship since their debut in 2004.
They were unlucky not to qualify for the knockout round two years ago when they finished third in Group A and lost out to Myanmar only on goal difference, but almost failed to booked their ticket to Bahrain this time around before doing enough to qualify as the fifth-best runners-up.
Nonetheless, having not been able to negotiate their way out of the group stages in their four previous appearances, Yemen will now be determined to take the next step this October.
Source: the-afc.com