Nepal meets Iraq in opener

KATHMANDU, Aug 14: Nepal will take on Iraq in the opening match of the AFC U-19 Qualifiers in October. According to the fixture released by Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Nepal will take on Iraq, ranked 15, on October 25, the first day of the match at Birshrestha Sipahi Mohammad Mostafa Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.



Nepal, ranked 30 in the AFC rankings, is pitted against host Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Maldives in group A. [break]



On October 27, Nepal will meet Saudi Arabia, ranked four, and three days later Nepal will face Oman. On November 1, Nepal will meet host Bangladesh at Bangabandhu National Stadium, and wrap up its qualifiers campaign playing against Maldives on November 4. Bangladesh and Maldives are ranked 26 and 41 respectively.



The 39 participating teams are divided into seven groups with five or six teams in each group. Top two teams from each group will make it to the final round where the third best team, one each from West and East Zone, will join them, making a total of 16 teams in the final round.



The last time Nepal had qualified into the final round was in 2004. The qualifier for the edition was also held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. North Korea, currently ranked number one in AFC, is the defending champion.



Nepal´s Fixtures



Date                     Opponent

Oct 25                   Iraq

Oct 27                   Saudi Arabia

Oct 30                    Oman

Nov 1                     Bangladesh

Nov 4                      Maldives

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