On the afternoon of October 2, at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the draw ceremony for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Finals took place, thereby determining the journey of the 16 teams participating in this prestigious tournament.
According to the draw results, the U23 Vietnam team is in Group A with the host Saudi Arabia - the champion in 2022, Jordan and Kyrgyzstan. This is a competitive group with the presence of a championship candidate, an opponent with an unpredictable playing style and a rookie (Kyrgyzstan) eager to show off.
In other groups, defending champions Japan are in Group B along with Qatar, UAE and Syria. Group C sees the presence of Uzbekistan (2018 champions), South Korea (2020 champions), Iran and Lebanon (first-time participants). Meanwhile, Iraq (2013 champions) will face Australia, Thailand and China in Group D.
The 2026 AFC U23 Championship will take place from January 6 to 24, 2026 in Saudi Arabia, with the participation of 16 teams, divided into 4 groups, playing a round-robin. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
This is the 6th consecutive time the Vietnam U23 team has participated in the AFC U23 Championship, after winning all 3 matches in Group C of the qualifying round, surpassing Bangladesh, Singapore and Yemen to take the top spot in the group.
As part of the preparation plan for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, the Vietnam U23 team will gather again from October 4 in Hanoi , parallel with the Vietnam National Team's training session during FIFA Days in October 2025.
As head coach Kim Sang-sik is preparing with the national team for two matches against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the coaching work of Vietnam U23 continues to be assigned to head coach Dinh Hong Vinh.
The team will train at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center until October 7, before going to the UAE for training. Here, U23 Vietnam is expected to have two friendly matches with U23 Qatar, which are considered to be of very high quality, taking place on October 9 and 13, to complete the squad, practice tactics and gain experience for important goals ahead, including the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/vck-u23-chau-a-2026-tuyen-viet-nam-som-dung-do-chu-nha-a-rap-saudi-19625100215165204.htm
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