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PANAJI: The All India Football Federation ( AIFF ) will continue to provide the India U-16 team with the best possible exposure ahead of the AFC U-16 Championship which kicks off in Malaysia in September.

India have been clubbed with Iran, the 2016 runners-up, Vietnam and Indonesia in group C. Two teams from the group will qualify for the quarterfinals, and should India make it to the semifinals – for the first time ever – they would have earned a ticket to the Fifa U-17 World Cup 2019 in Peru.

The squad has already trained in Dubai, Qatar, Hong Kong and Spain, and are now set to travel to Serbia next month for a four-nation tournament that will pit them against teams who are also preparing for the AFC U-16 Championship.

It is not clear which team hosts Serbia, who have qualified for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in England, will field, but Jordan and Tajikistan will provide India with a reality check ahead of the U-16 Championship. Jordan and Tajikistan, placed in different groups, have qualified for the Asian event.

The AIFF, it is learnt, had also confirmed tours in Vietnam and Indonesia but those trips now look doubtful as both are India’s group opponents at the continental championship. Plans to travel to Malaysia for acclimatisation have remained unchanged, while China’s refusal to accommodate India for a scheduled four-nation tournament could prompt the AIFF to knock on the doors of the Japan Football Association.

“The AIFF and Sports Authority of India has provided this team with the best of preparation. We have had nothing to complain,” said coach Bibiano Fernandes .

The India U-16s have already played the national teams of United States, Norway, Qatar, Hong Kong, Singapore and Chinese Taipei. While they lost against US and Norway, Bibiano’s boys have remained undefeated against Asian opponents in friendlies.

“During our tour to Spain, we saw the gulf in difference between Indian players and the rest. There were many games which were a confidence booster. The more we play, the better we will get,” he said

The AFC U-16 Championship will be held between September 20-October 7 in Malaysia.