U23 Vietnam waits for opponents, ready for challenges at the 2026 U23 Asian Championship

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals will feature the continent’s 16 best teams. According to the seeding rules, host Saudi Arabia is automatically placed in pot 1, along with Uzbekistan - the defending champion, Japan - the runner-up and Iraq - the third-placed team at the 2024 AFC U23 Championship.

The next four strong teams including South Korea, Vietnam, Australia and Qatar are placed in Pot 2. The representatives of Pot 3 are Thailand, Jordan, UAE and Iran, while China, Syria, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon are in Pot 4.

According to the competition format, 16 teams will be divided into 4 groups, each group consists of 4 teams, playing a round robin. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The final match is scheduled to take place on January 25, 2026.

Previously, the journey to qualify for the U23 Vietnam tournament left many impressions. Under the guidance of coach Kim Sang-sik, the red team won all three matches in Group C, defeating Bangladesh 2-0, Singapore 1-0 and Yemen 1-0 to take the top spot with 9 absolute points.

This is the 6th consecutive time that U23 Vietnam has participated in the U23 Asian Finals, an achievement that affirms the stable and sustainable position of Vietnamese youth football in the continental arena.

It is impossible not to mention the enthusiastic support from Phu Tho audiences throughout the three qualifying matches. At Viet Tri Stadium, the bright red color covered the stands, creating a vibrant atmosphere, becoming a great source of inspiration and motivation for the players to compete confidently and complete the set goals.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship will take place from January 7 to January 25, 2026 in Saudi Arabia. Fans are eagerly awaiting the draw in Kuala Lumpur, where Vietnam U23 will know their opponents in the journey to conquer the top of the continent.