A total of 45 nations will participate in the qualifiers with the draw seeding based on the rankings from the last edition in 2014.

WEST ZONE

Group A: Uzbekistan, Yemen, Palestine (hosts), Maldives
Group B: Nepal, Oman, Kyrgyzstan (hosts), Jordan
Group C: Qatar (hosts), Tajikistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan
Group D: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, Bangladesh (hosts)
Group E: Iran (hosts), Bahrain, India, Lebanon
Group F: Syria, Kuwait (hosts), Afghanistan, Sri Lanka

EAST ZONE

Group G: Malaysia, Laos, Philippines, Northern Mariana Islands, Timor-Leste
Group H: DPR Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia
Group I: Korea Republic, China, Chinese Taipei, Macau
Group J: Australia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Guam
Group K: Japan, Hong Kong, Brunei, Mongolia

Bhutan, who will not take part in the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 qualifiers, but participated in 2014, were removed from the seeding table for the draw. Indonesia were also excluded from the seeding table following FIFA’s suspension of the Football Association of Indonesia.

Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives, Mongolia and Timor-Leste, who will participate in India 2016 qualifiers, but did not take part in the 2014 edition, were added in the table as non-ranked teams.

Eleven group winners and four best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals, with hosts India receiving an automatic qualification (total 16 teams).

In case India finish top of their qualifying group or among the four best second-placed teams, the next (5th) second best placed nation will qualify for the final competition.

The qualifying matches will be played from September 12 to 20.