Thailand U23 were eliminated after drawing 0-0 with China U23.
The Thai newspaper Thairath expressed its opinion: “Vietnam U23 is the only representative of Southeast Asian football to qualify for the quarterfinals of this year's AFC U23 Asian Championship. They had an outstanding performance in the group stage, winning all three matches against Jordan U23, Kyrgyzstan, and host nation Saudi Arabia.”
"Vietnam U23 advanced to the quarterfinals as group A winners. Meanwhile, Thailand U23 were eliminated after the group stage. The team from the land of the golden temples only managed two points after three matches. Thailand U23's journey ends here."
Vietnam U23 continues to defeat Thailand U23 (Photo: Manh Quan).
They will be returning home soon; the team will arrive at Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Bangkok, Thailand) on the morning of January 16th,” Thairath added.
In reality, the Thai U23 team's performance at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship wasn't bad, but it wasn't good enough to defeat strong opponents like China U23 (0-0 draw) or Iraq U23 (1-1 draw).
Thailand U23 also showed a lack of experience in their 1-2 loss to Australia U23. The team from the land of the golden temples started well in this match, scoring the opening goal in the 8th minute.
But then, the Thailand U23 team lost their composure due to a needless red card and a very inexperienced foul in their own penalty area, before conceding a penalty.
Due to mistakes, the Thai U23 team was overturned by the Australian U23 team and ultimately lost, even though this was a match where the Thai U23 team should have earned points.
Vietnam U23 is the only representative from Southeast Asia to reach the quarterfinals (Photo: AFC).
The ASEAN Football website, which specializes in Southeast Asian football, shared: "Thailand's U23 team missed out on the rest of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. The young team from the land of the golden temples finished the group stage with only two points."
"Meanwhile, the entire Southeast Asian region sees hope in the Vietnamese U23 team. Coach Kim Sang Sik's team carries that hope of the whole region as they advance to the knockout round."
"People are asking whether the Vietnam U23 team will advance beyond the quarter-finals of this year's tournament," ASEAN Football added excitedly.
Meanwhile, the Thai newspaper Siam Sport reported: “The Thai U23 team drew 0-0 with the Chinese U23 team and were eliminated from the 2026 Asian U23 Championship. The team, nicknamed the War Elephants, only have two points, finishing last in Group D.”
"Leading this group is U23 Australia with 6 points after 3 matches, while U23 China has 5 points, ranking second. U23 Australia will face South Korea in the quarterfinals, while U23 China will meet U23 Uzbekistan," these are the words still written in Siam Sport.
The quarter-finals of this year's AFC U23 Asian Championship will take place on January 16th and 17th. The semi-finals will be held on January 20th. The third-place match will be on January 23rd, and the final will be on January 24th.
AFC U23 Asian Championship 2026 schedule
Quarter-finals
6:30 PM on January 16th: Japan U23 vs. Jordan U23
10:30 PM on January 16th: Vietnam U23 vs. UAE U23
6:30 PM on January 17th: Uzbekistan U23 vs. China U23
10:30 PM on January 17th: U23 Australia vs. U23 South Korea
Semi-finals
6:30 PM on January 20th: Japan U23/Jordan U23 vs. Australia U23/South Korea U23
10:30 PM on January 20th: Vietnam U23/UAE U23 vs. Uzbekistan U23/China U23
Third-place match (10 PM, January 23rd): The two teams that lost in the semi-finals.
Final: (10 PM on January 24th): The two winning teams from the semi-finals
Watch the entire 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship Finals on TV360 at https://tv360.vn. Enjoy a smooth multi-platform experience, rewind and replay, and free Viettel 4G/5G data.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-dong-nam-a-binh-luan-ve-tinh-canh-cua-u23-viet-nam-va-u23-thai-lan-20260115013833394.htm
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