SINGAPORE, 9 MAY 2019 – Philippe Aw’s national Under-15 team will take on DPR Korea, Hong Kong and Guam in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 Championship 2020 qualifiers later this year.

Singapore will host all the matches in Group I as they seek a first appearance in the tournament since 2008. The games will take place between 18 to 22 September.

Aw believes that his team are capable of making it through and called for the crowd to get behind his boys.

“North Korea is always tough and Hong Kong and Guam football are on the rise,” he said.

“With discipline, commitment and good preparation, we have a fighting chance.

“As hosts, we will have our people behind us, cheering and pushing us on. We know that in football, the ’12th man’ can potentially help a team to greater heights.

“Most importantly, all of us must have that belief that we can do it!”

Group winners will qualify directly for the finals – the host is yet to be determined – and the four best runners-up will join them.

The draw, which took place at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur earlier today, saw 47 teams divided into two zones of WEST (West, South and Central) with 25 teams, and EAST (East and ASEAN) with 22 teams.

The exact match schedules will be revealed at a later time.