The 2006 Asian Youth Championship in India

The Asian Football Confederation first hosted the men’s Asian Cup in 1956 and three years later decided to hold the youth competition to provide another tier of competitive international football for the development of young playing talent in Asia. The competition is held every two years and is open to players under the age of 19 and also acts as a qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The top four sides in the AFC Youth Championship will advance to the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be played in Canada from 30 June to 22 July next year.

Korea Republic claimed the AFC Youth Championship crown in 2004 with a 2-0 win over China in Kuala Lumpur. The South Koreans have again qualified for this year's competition, which will be played in India from 29 October to 12 November. Also competing in this year's finals are Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, China, UAE, Thailand, Australia, Japan, North Korea Iran, Tajikistan Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Vietnam and hosts India.

See also: India awaits AFC decision on live U-20 broadcasts (24 Oct)