Determining 16 teams participating in the 2026 AFC U23 Finals

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided into 11 groups. At the end of the qualifiers, the 11 group winners and the four best runners-up will qualify for the finals, alongside hosts Saudi Arabia.

In Group C, U23 Vietnam leads with 3 wins, defeating Bangladesh 2-0, Singapore 1-0 and Yemen 1-0. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team did not concede any goals, extending their record of 6 consecutive appearances in the AFC U23 Championship Finals (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2026).

U23 Vietnam's best achievement at the tournament was the runner-up position in 2018, as well as two consecutive quarter-final appearances in 2022 and 2024.

Meanwhile, in Group F, U23 Thailand also won a direct ticket with the top position in the group. They have 7 points like U23 Lebanon but ranked higher thanks to the extra goal difference.

Southeast Asia has only two representatives, Vietnam and Thailand, while the Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia all stopped.

List of 16 teams that have qualified for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship: Saudi Arabia (host), 10 group winners including U23 Vietnam, U23 Jordan, U23 Japan, U23 Australia, U23 Kyrgyzstan, U23 Thailand, U23 Iraq, U23 Qatar, U23 Iran, U23 South Korea and U23 Syria. Group of 4 best second-placed teams: U23 China, U23 Uzbekistan, U23 Lebanon and U23 UAE.

Among them, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon are participating for the first time, promising to bring surprises and excitement.

According to the plan, AFC will conduct the draw for the group stage in October 2025. 16 teams will be divided into 4 groups, playing a round-robin to select 8 teams for the quarter-finals.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship Finals will not award Olympic berths, but it is still an important arena for football nations to assert their strength and introduce the next generation of young talents to the national team.