Sixteen (16) teams will be taking part in the competition where they will be divided by a draw to four groups of four each. The draw for the finals will be held in Tashkent on April 1, 2008 while the finals will be held at Army and Jar Stadiums in the Uzbek capital from October 4-19, 2008.

The last edition of AFC U-16 Championship 2006 (formal known as AFC U-17 Championship) was held in Singapore with Japan emerged champion defeating DPR Korea in the final while Tajikistan took third place ahead of Syria.

This is the second time ever Uzbekistan will host an AFC competition after successfully hosting AFC Futsal Championship 2006.

Twelve (12) teams have qualified so far to the AFC Under-16 Championship. They are as follows:

India (Group C), Syria, Yemen (Group A), Iran, Bahrain (Group B), Uzbekistan (Group D), China, Singapore (Group E), Japan, Indonesia (Group F), Australia (Group G) and Korea Republic (Group H).

Top four teams in AFC U-16 Championship Uzbekistan 2008 will qualify for FIFA U-17 World Cup 2009.