Determining 16 teams competing in the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship: Vietnam and Thailand deserve to be present

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals have determined the 16 names that will compete in Saudi Arabia. Of which, U23 Vietnam won the ticket to continue with the first position in Group C.

In the final match of Group C of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, which took place on the evening of September 9 at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ), Vietnam U23 won a narrow 1-0 victory over Yemen U23. Nguyen Thanh Nhan was the name who scored the only goal to help coach Kim Sang-sik and his team defeat the West Asian team, with a powerful shot in the second half.

Southeast Asia has 2 representatives attending the finals.

The Vietnam U23 team won a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals by finishing first in Group C, with a perfect record, 9 points and a goal difference of +4. Meanwhile, Yemen U23 finished second in Group C, with 6 points and a goal difference of +1. However, that was not enough for the West Asian team to participate in the AFC U23 Championship finals taking place next year in Saudi Arabia.

Up to now, the 2026 AFC U23 Championship has determined all the names that will compete, including: Jordan (Group A), Japan (Group B), Vietnam (Group C), Australia, China (Group D), Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan (Group E), Thailand, Lebanon (Group F), Iraq (Group G), Qatar (Group H), Iran, UAE (Group I), South Korea (Group J), Syria (Group K).

Thanh Nhan shines at the right time, U.23 Vietnam wins ticket to U.23 Asia Finals 2026

Thanh Nhan (22) scored a beautiful goal to help U.23 Vietnam beat U.23 Yemen in the final round of Group C.

PHOTO: MINH TU

The 15 teams that qualified for the above qualifying round, along with host U.23 Saudi Arabia, will compete for the championship title at the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship in January next year.

There were not many surprises, as the continent's top teams all proved their class and won tickets to the final round of the U.23 continental tournament. Southeast Asia only had 2 representatives participating, the 2 leading football nations in the region: Vietnam and Thailand.

Placed in Group F with Thailand, Malaysia only finished in third place. Meanwhile, Indonesia finished second in Group J, but could not make it into the top four runners-up.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship will feature 16 teams, divided into four groups (four teams each). The teams will compete in a round-robin format to determine points and rankings. The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals.

Watch live and complete Group C - 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/xac-dinh-16-doi-tranh-tai-vck-u23-chau-a-2026-viet-nam-thai-lan-gop-mat-185250910060114436.htm