New Delhi, June 2 (IANS): The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday confirmed India as hosts of the 2016 AFC Under-16 Championship.

AFC announced its decision through a letter addressed to all its member associations.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) first expressed its interest in hosting the continental championship in May, 2014.

The AIFF said the championship is a perfect build up to India hosting the 2017 Under-17 football World Cup.

"The AFC U-16 Championship will enable our national team to gain valuable experience before 2017 while also giving us a great opportunity to test our organisational capabilities before the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017,” Kushal Das, AIFF, general secretary said in a release on Tuesday.

The Indian Under-16 national team will also be participating in the AFC Under-16 qualifiers in September 2015, the draw for which will be held on June 5 in Malaysia.

While India as a host nation have already qualified, the team will also be participating in the qualifiers to give them the maximum international exposure in the lead up to the tournament.

Bahrain will host the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship.