In this morning's match, Qatar U23 faced Bahrain U23, needing only a draw to secure their place in the finals. However, they trailed 0-1 after 90 minutes. Furthermore, Qatar was down a man due to a red card. This situation almost certainly guaranteed a victory for Bahrain.
If the 0-1 scoreline in favor of U23 Bahrain remains unchanged, a scenario where three teams end up with 6 points will occur. U23 India, U23 Bahrain, and U23 Qatar would all have 6 points thanks to their wins against each other. In that case, the ranking of the teams would be determined by their goal difference.
India U23 will lead the group due to the best goal difference (3-2), followed by Qatar U23 (2-2) and Bahrain U23 (1-2). India secured the only qualifying spot in Group H. According to AFC regulations, teams are placed in a group based on their performance in the last three AFC U23 Asian Championships. Because of their poorer performance compared to Thailand U23, India U23 will be in Group 3 for the draw, while Thailand will be in Group 2, on par with Vietnam U23.
But in the second minute of added time, a turning point occurred. Despite being down a man, the Qatar U23 team managed to score two consecutive goals to win 2-1 and reclaim the top spot. Ultimately, Qatar secured their place in the finals, while India was eliminated. Consequently, the Thailand U23 team was relegated to Group 3 in the draw.
The teams' placement in each group depends on their results in the last three tournaments (2020, 2022, and 2024). In these three tournaments, the Vietnam U23 team reached the quarterfinals twice and was eliminated in the group stage once. Meanwhile, the Thailand U23 team was eliminated in the group stage twice and only reached the quarterfinals once. Therefore, the Thailand U23 team accumulated a lower coefficient than Vietnam, so they are placed in Group 3, while the Vietnam U23 team is in Group 2.
In the draw for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship, expected to take place later this year, Vietnam will be the only representative from Southeast Asia in Group 2. The team will compete alongside strong AFC football nations such as South Korea, Australia, and Qatar.
Seedings for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup draw.
Group 1
Saudi Arabia (the host)
Uzbekistan
Japan
Iraq
Group 2
Korea
Vietnam
Australia
Qatar
Group 3
Thailand
Jordan
UAE
Iran
Group 4
China
Syria
Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon
With a last-minute victory, Thailand follows Vietnam to qualify for the U23 Asian Championship finals.
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After fouling Chanathip, the Iraqi player didn't dare go up to receive his medal.
Despite winning 3-0 against an amateur team, the Thai national team still faced criticism.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/u23-viet-nam-xep-hat-giong-so-2-vck-chau-a-u23-thai-lan-tut-hang-phut-cuoi-cung-post1777063.tpo
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