Determining the draw time for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals

U23 Vietnam will determine its opponent on October 2 - Photo: NGOC LE

The AFC has only announced the date but has not yet finalised the venue. Most likely the draw will be held at the AFC headquarters in Malaysia as usual. But it could also take place in the host country of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, Saudi Arabia.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship has determined the 16 participating teams: Jordan, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Lebanon, Iraq, Qatar, South Korea, Iran, UAE, Syria and host Saudi Arabia.

Among the 16 teams participating in the final round, there are two newcomers: Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon. The remaining teams are all "regular guests" of the tournament.

AFC has not yet divided the seeds at the draw ceremony. But if considering the achievements in recent years, U23 Vietnam is predicted to be in pot 2. This group will most likely include U23 Korea and Qatar.

Meanwhile, the remaining representative of Southeast Asian football, U23 Thailand, could be in group 3. Thus, U23 Vietnam will avoid Korea and Qatar but is completely capable of facing Thailand in the group stage.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship will take place from January 7 to 25 in Saudi Arabia. This is the 6th consecutive time that Vietnam U23 has won a ticket to the tournament and reached the quarterfinals the most recent time (2024).

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/xac-dinh-thoi-gian-boc-tham-vong-chung-ket-u23-chau-a-2026-20250912122626743.htm