TEHRAN – Iran defeated Nepal 4-0 at the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualification opener on Monday.

Hossein Nokhodkar made a brace and Mehdi Limouchi and Yasin Salmani each scored for Iran.

Iran will play Lebanon and Tajikistan on Thursday and Sunday in Group B, respectively.

In each group, teams play each other once at a centralized venue. The eleven group winners and the four best runners-up qualify for the final tournament.

A total of 16 teams will qualify to play in the final tournament, including Uzbekistan as hosts.