The 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers will bring together 44 teams, divided into 11 groups (4 teams per group) competing in a round-robin format at a single location, from September 1st to 9th.
After the qualifying rounds, the top 11 teams from each group, along with the four best-performing second-placed teams, will qualify for the finals next year, joining host nation Saudi Arabia.
Accordingly, 15 teams qualified, including: U23 Jordan (Group A), U23 Japan (Group B), U23 Vietnam (Group C), U23 Australia, and U23 China (Group D). Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan (Group E), Thailand, Lebanon (Group F), Iraq (Group G), Qatar (Group H), South Korea (Group J), Iran, UAE (Group I), Syria (Group K).
Among the teams participating in the finals are Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon, both making their first appearance.
In Southeast Asia, both the Vietnam U23 and Thailand U23 teams qualified for the next round as group winners.
In Group C, Vietnam U23 started with a 2-0 victory over Bangladesh U23, followed by a 1-0 win against Singapore U23, before defeating Yemen U23 by a narrow margin.
The Vietnam U23 team not only secured a place in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship but also extended their record to six consecutive appearances in the continental tournament's finals, following their previous appearances in 2024, 2022, 2020, 2018, and 2016.
In Group F, U23 Thailand and U23 Lebanon both have 7 points after 3 matches, but the "Land of Smiles" team is ahead due to a better goal difference.
The 2026 AFC U23 Championship will take place next January, with 16 participating teams divided into 4 groups, playing a round-robin format to determine the top two teams from each group to advance to the quarter-finals.
The Asian Football Confederation is expected to conduct the draw for the group stage of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in October 2025.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/xac-dinh-16-doi-du-vck-u23-chau-a-2026-dong-nam-a-co-viet-nam-va-thai-lan-167201.html
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