The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially confirmed that Vietnam will serve as one of the host nations for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, scheduled to take place from September 1 to 9, 2025.

The announcement was made at the AFC Competition Committee meeting on April 30, chaired by Tran Quoc Tuan, President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), who also serves as a Standing Committee Member and Head of the AFC Competition Committee.

The qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided into 11 groups of four, competing in a round-robin format. The 11 group winners and the four best second-place teams will qualify for the final tournament in Saudi Arabia, who automatically qualify as hosts.

In addition to Vietnam, the 10 other host nations include Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Qatar, Tajikistan, Thailand, and the UAE.

The draw ceremony for the group stage will be held on May 29 at AFC headquarters. With their quarterfinal finish at the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Cup, U23 Vietnam are seeded in Pot 1 alongside powerhouses like Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iraq, and Indonesia, giving them a significant advantage in the race to qualify.

To prepare for the competition, the U22 Vietnam national team will continue to train during FIFA Days. Earlier this year, they gained valuable experience at the U22 CFA International Tournament in March, where they faced strong opponents such as U23 South Korea, Uzbekistan, and China.

Thien Binh