List of 18 teams officially eliminated from U23 Asia 2026

After 2 matches, 18 teams officially failed to qualify for the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals.

Laos U23 team couldn't pull off an upset in a group that was too strong - Photo: LFF

The 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers have completed two-thirds of the matches, and the race for a place in the finals has already been decided with 18 teams.

The main reason these 18 teams had to say goodbye early was that they all suffered two consecutive defeats. With this result, they no longer had a chance to compete for the top spot to secure a direct qualification spot, nor could they qualify as one of the best-performing second-placed teams.

Among the eliminated teams, there were many names from Southeast Asia such as Timor Leste, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar, and Laos. In Group A, the situation was decided after the matches on September 6th when Taiwan suffered a crushing 0-6 defeat against Jordan, while Bhutan also lost 0-2 to Turkmenistan.

Similarly in Group B, Myanmar failed to spring a surprise, losing 1-2 to Japan, while Afghanistan suffered a 0-1 defeat against Kuwait, resulting in both teams being eliminated from the tournament.

Additionally, in Group C, two teams, Singapore and Bangladesh, have also been confirmed to fail to qualify after suffering two consecutive defeats. Vietnam and Yemen are fiercely competing for first place in the group.

Next in Group D, two consecutive defeats for Timor Leste and the Northern Mariana Islands also ended their dreams of qualifying for Saudi Arabia next year.

Continuing in Group F, Mongolia also has no chance of qualifying for the finals after suffering two defeats.

List of 18 teams eliminated in the 2026 U23 Asian Championship qualifiers.

Group A: Taiwan, Bhutan

Group B: Myanmar, Afghanistan

Group C: Singapore, Bangladesh

Group D: Timor Leste, Northern Mariana Islands

Group E: Sri Lanka

Group F: Mongolia

Group G: Oman, Pakistan

Group H: Brunei Darussalam

Table I: Hong Kong, Guam

Group J: Laos, Macau

Group K: Nepal

The 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided into 11 groups. After the qualifying matches, the 11 group winners and the 4 best-performing second-placed teams will qualify for the finals in Saudi Arabia in 2026.

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THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/danh-list-18-official-teams-eliminated-in-the-u23-asia-2026-20250907101839741.htm