Thailand were drawn on Tuesday into a tough group with defending champions Japan and North Korea in the AFC U23 Championship. First-time qualifiers Palestine are the other team in Group B of the tournament, which will be held in China from Jan 9-27. Thailand reached the 2018 finals after finishing second behind Malaysia in their qualifying group in Bangkok in July. Thailand U23 coach Zoran Jakovic said that he was pleased with the draw: "We have time to prepare the team. Meanwhile, Malaysia and North Korea will play their delayed Asian Cup qualifiers in Thailand next month, after the matches were postponed over a diplomatic row and nuclear tensions.

Source: Bangkok Post October 24, 2017 23:30 UTC