U23 Vietnam aims to pass the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers

In the qualifying round of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, which will take place in early September, coach Kim Sang Sik and his team aim to pass the qualifying round and win the right to play in the final round.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided into 11 groups competing in a round-robin format to select the 11 group winners and the four best runners-up to advance to the Final Round, which will take place in January 2026 in Saudi Arabia.

VFF representatives exchange information about the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers

According to the draw results, the U23 Vietnam team is in Group C with Yemen, Singapore and Bangladesh. Except for Bangladesh, the Yemen and Singapore teams were in the same group with U23 Vietnam before in the 2024 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers, when the U23 Vietnam team won the group with 7 points, qualifying for the final round.

As part of the preparation plan for the important goals of the Vietnam U23 team in 2025, in addition to the effort to win the right to host the group of the Vietnam U23 team in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers, VFF and head coach Kim Sang Sik have proactively built a long-term plan for the team's force.

Accordingly, from the second half of 2024 until now, many players aged U22 have been called up to the national team at FIFA Days to gain experience, improve tactical thinking and get used to the intensity of international competition.

In addition, the team will also be given the opportunity to participate in quality tournaments such as the U22 International Tournament in China in March 2025 with the participation of Uzbekistan, South Korea and host China. Most recently, the U23 Vietnam team has excellently won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship for the third consecutive time after defeating host Indonesia in the final, creating more confidence before entering the continental qualifying round.

Head coach of the Vietnam U23 team Kim Sang Sik said: "During the past process, I and the coaching staff have researched and checked the health status of the players. The players' condition is very good and based on that, we announced the official list yesterday (August 25). The recent Southeast Asian championship will help the players be confident, eager, and fight their best to pass the upcoming qualifying round. To be able to step out not only in Southeast Asia but also in Asia, the players will need to play even better and bring back good results."

VFF and LPBank signed a cooperation agreement

At the ceremony, VFF also announced the main partner of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifying round – Group C. Accordingly, Loc Phat Bank (LPBank) will support VFF in organizing the round hosted by Vietnam.

VFF Vice President Tran Anh Tu highly appreciated LPBank's support as the main companion of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifying round in Vietnam and affirmed that this is a meaningful source of encouragement for both the organization and the Vietnam U23 Team.

The matches in Group C, the qualifying round of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship will take place at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ) from September 3 to September 9. To prepare for the race in this group, the Vietnam U23 team will gather again on August 29.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/u23-viet-nam-dat-muc-tieu-vuot-qua-vong-loai-giai-u23-chau-a-2026-20250826170018455.htm