Soccer-Australia back in U20 Asian Cup qualifiers after games moved from Iraq's Basra

Last Update: 2022-09-14 00:00:00 - Source: Iraq News

(Reuters) -Football Australia said on Wednesday their Under-20 side had been reinstated into the qualifying competition for next year's U20 Asian Cup after their group games were moved out of the Iraqi city of Basra.

Australia withdrew from the qualifiers on safety grounds last month after their group was assigned Basra as their hub.

The AFC announced later that the qualifying games of Group H will be held at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait from Oct. 14-18.

Australia, Iraq, Kuwait and India are in Group H.

The U20 Asian Cup is scheduled to be held from March 1-18 in Uzbekistan next year.

Teams who finish on top of their groups are assured of a place in tournament alongside the five best runners-up in the qualifiers.

(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Toby Chopra)