Chinese newspaper talks about the possibility of the home team meeting U23 Vietnam in the Asian tournament

(Dan Tri) - Newspaper 163 (China) hopes that the home team will be in the same group with U23 Vietnam at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup.

On October 2, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will conduct the draw for the AFC U23 Championship in Malaysia. Vietnam U23 is in the second seed group with South Korea U23, Australia U23 and Qatar U23.

Meanwhile, U23 China is in group 4 with U23 Syria, U23 Kyrgyzstan and U23 Lebanon.

U23 Vietnam is in group 2 of the U23 Asian tournament (Photo: Minh Quan).

Before the draw, the 163 newspaper (China) hoped that the home team would be in the same group with U23 Vietnam in the 2026 U23 Asian Cup. The Chinese newspaper wrote: “U23 China was only ranked in the 4th seed group in the draw for the final round of the U23 Asian Cup. That made many people feel worried.

The prospect of China U23 being eliminated in the group stage like the 2024 tournament is looming. Of course, everything can change depending on the draw. The possibility of China U23 winning against the teams in the No. 1 seed group is unrealistic. However, if they meet Vietnam U23 in the No. 2 seed group, Thailand or Jordan in the No. 3 seed group, China U23 can go far. At that time, China U23's goal of reaching the quarterfinals is completely feasible."

Because they are in the second seed group, U23 Vietnam will definitely not have to face U23 Korea, U23 Australia and U23 Qatar in the group stage. This is good news for coach Kim Sang Sik and his team.

U23 China wants to be in the same group with U23 Vietnam (Photo: AFC).

If U23 Vietnam faces U23 Thailand (group 3) and U23 China (group 4) in the group stage, it will be a very interesting match.

Vietnam U23's performance in the Asian U23 tournament in recent years has been quite stable. The team won the runner-up position in the 2018 tournament. In the two recent tournaments in 2022 and 2024, Vietnam U23 both reached the quarter-finals.

Results of seeding groups of U23 Asia tournament:

Group 1 : U23 Saudi Arabia (host), U23 Uzbekistan, U23 Japan and U23 Iraq.

Group 2: U23 Korea, U23 Vietnam, U23 Australia and U23 Qatar

Group 3: U23 Thailand, U23 Jordan, U23 UAE and U23 Iran

Group 4: U23 China, U23 Syria, U23 Kyrgyzstan and U23 Lebanon.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-trung-quoc-noi-ve-kha-nang-doi-nha-gap-u23-viet-nam-o-giai-chau-a-20250915190623309.htm