U23 Vietnam holds a big advantage in the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers

U23 Vietnam has a big advantage in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers - Photo: VFF .

Vietnam U23 is in the No. 1 seed group at the draw ceremony for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifying round. This position is determined based on the cumulative achievements from the three most recent AFC U23 Championships (2020, 2022, 2024).

On the rankings used to divide the seed groups, Vietnam ranked 5th in Asia, just behind Uzbekistan, Japan, Iraq and South Korea. This is the result of the stability of Vietnamese youth football over the past years, especially the impressive performance in the quarter-finals of the 2024 AFC U23 Championship.

Being in the top seed group helps U23 Vietnam avoid strong opponents in the group stage, thereby increasing the chance of reaching the final round. Not only that, the team also has a big advantage when being chosen as one of 11 countries to host the group, along with other countries such as Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Qatar, Tajikistan, Thailand and UAE. The home field advantage is certainly an important support for the players' spirit and playing conditions.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers will feature 44 teams, competing in a round-robin format at a central location from September 1 to 9, 2025. The teams will be divided into 11 groups, and after the group stage, the 11 group winners and the 4 best second-placed teams will advance to the finals in Saudi Arabia. The host team will be given a special entry without having to play the qualifying round.

According to the plan, the draw for the qualifying round will take place at 2pm on May 29 at the AFC headquarters (Malaysia). The teams will be divided into 4 seed groups. The 11 host countries will be drawn into a separate group to ensure that each group has a host team. Each host team will be placed in the position corresponding to its seed group.

Specific seed groups are as follows:

Group 1: Uzbekistan, Japan, Iraq, South Korea, Vietnam, Australia, Qatar, Thailand, Jordan, Tajikistan, UAE

Group 2: Indonesia, Kuwait, Iran, Turkmenistan, Malaysia, China, Bahrain, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Cambodia

Group 3: Myanmar, Oman, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, India, Lebanon, Laos, Timor Leste, Chinese Taipei, Philippines, Hong Kong (China)

Group 4: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Guam, Pakistan, Macau, Nepal, Brunei, Bhutan, Northern Mariana Islands

Source: https://znews.vn/u23-viet-nam-nam-loi-the-lon-o-vong-loai-u23-chau-a-2026-post1551028.html