Muscat: The Oman under-17 football team departed on Monday evening for Thailand to begin an overseas training camp that runs until November 20, as part of their final preparations for the AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers. The qualifiers will be hosted by Myanmar, which will also include Syria, Nepal, Afghanistan and Oman in Group 7.
The camp aims to enhance players’ physical and technical readiness before the qualifiers begin. During their stay in Thailand, the junior Red Warriors will play two strong friendly matches — the first against Thailand on November 13, and the second against Kuwait on November 16. These matches will serve as ideal tests for the technical staff to assess the main squad's readiness before their opening qualifier on November 24 against Syria.
Head coach Ahmed bin Salem Bait Said confirmed that the team aspires to deliver strong performances and compete for the top spot in Group 7 to secure qualification for the AFC U17 Asian Cup finals, which will be held next year in Saudi Arabia. He noted that the final phase of preparations comes as part of a long-term programme that included several domestic and international training camps.
The Oman squad participating in the Thailand camp consists of 23 players: Goalkeepers: Salem al Rawahi, Abdullah al Zaabi, Abdullah al Balushi; Outfield players: Abdullah al Saadi, Bashar al Shamsi, Mohammed al Jabri, Namar al Amri, Awad al Saadi, Mohammed al Balushi, Mubarak al Amri, Turki al Ghassani, Muadh al Hinai, Bashar al Ghafri, Al Hassan Bahhaj, Saleh al Balushi, Saad al Maamari, Ahmed al Yahmadi, Mohammed al Hashem, Turki al Ruzaiqi, Al Azhar al Saadi, Mishaal al Raqqadi, Mohammed al Uraini and Nizar al Salimi.
The U17 Asian Cup qualifiers feature seven groups hosted across several countries. Group 1 will take place in China and includes Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka. Group 2 will be held in Kyrgyzstan with Yemen, Laos, Cambodia, Guam and Pakistan. Vietnam will host Group 3, which includes Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Northern Mariana Islands and Macau.
Meanwhile, India will host Group 4 featuring Iran, Palestine, Lebanon and Chinese Taipei. Group 5 will be played in Jordan and includes Australia, Iraq, the Philippines and Bhutan. Thailand will host Group 6, which features Kuwait, Turkmenistan, Mongolia and the Maldives.
The group winners from all seven groups, along with the best five second-placed teams, will qualify for the AFC U17 Asian Cup finals, scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2026.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
