Publish Date: 12 September 2015 - 23:53

DOHA, Sep. 12 (MNA) – The draw for the final round of 2016 AFC U23 Championship was held on Saturday in Doha.

The official draw for the final round of 2016 AFC U23 Championship was conducted at the Four Seasons Hotel in the Qatari capital city of Doha on Saturday afternoon.

The 16 participating teams are split into four groups of four teams. The top two teams in each group (eight teams in total) will qualify for the knockout stage.

The Persian Cheetahs have been drawn in Group A along with hosts Qatar, Syria and China.

The tournament will kick off on January 12, 2016 and close on January 30.

The winner, the runners-up and the third-placed team will qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Football Tournament.

AFC Under-23 Championship 2016 - Groups

Group A:  Qatar, Syria, Iran, China PR

Group B:  Saudi Arabia, Japan, DPR Korea, Thailand

Group C:  Iraq, Korea Republic, Uzbekistan, Yemen

Group D:  Jordan, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam