On the afternoon of November 23, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) drew lots to divide the groups for the 2024 AFC U23 Championship. And U23 Vietnam fell into Group D with Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia.
U23 Vietnam is in the same group with Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia - Photo: HOANG TUNG
According to calculations by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), U23 Vietnam is in group 2 with Australia, Iraq and South Korea.
Pot 1 includes hosts Qatar and teams Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Japan. Pot 3 includes Thailand, Jordan, UAE, Kuwait. Finally, Pot 4 includes teams Malaysia, Tajikistan, Indonesia and China.
According to the draw results, U23 Vietnam fell into group D. Coach Philippe Troussier's team's opponents in the same group are Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia.
Among them, U23 Uzbekistan is the strongest team in the group. They defeated U23 Vietnam in the 2018 final to win the title. In the most recent tournament in 2022, U23 Uzbekistan finished second.
The remaining two opponents are not rated as highly as U23 Vietnam. Although they have the ability to cause a surprise, the chance of advancing for coach Philippe Troussier and his team is still positive.
U23 Thailand falls into a heavy group
Unlike U23 Vietnam, U23 Thailand fell into a very difficult group.
According to the draw results, they are in Group C with Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Tajikistan. Of these, only Tajikistan is considered to be on par with Thailand.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is the current champion of the U23 Asia. Iraq is a very strong team in the region.
In Group A, host Qatar will face many difficulties when being in the same group with Australia, Jordan and Indonesia.
The group of death of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship is group B with the presence of Japan, South Korea, UAE and China.
The confrontation between two rival teams, Japan and Korea, will certainly be exciting and dramatic. In the men's football final of the 19th Asian Games not long ago, U23 Korea defeated U23 Japan 2-1 to win the gold medal.
The other two teams in Group B, UAE and China, are also quality names. Therefore, although Japan and Korea are highly rated, nothing can guarantee them a ticket to the next round.
The 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals will take place from April 15 to May 3 in Qatar. The top three teams will qualify for the 2024 Olympic men's football tournament. The fourth-placed team will play a play-off against a representative from the Confederation of African Football for a play-off spot.
*Results of the draw for the 2023 AFC U23 Championship Finals:
| Table A | Table B | Table C | Table D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qatar | Japan | Saudi Arabia | Uzbekistan |
| Australia | Korea | Iraq | Vietnam |
| Jordan | UAE | Thailand | Kuwait |
| Indonesia | China | Tajikistan | Malaysia |
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