The 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Football Championship has entered the 3rd round of the group stage. In Group A - the only group with 4 teams, U23 Indonesia won a ticket to the semi-finals after a 0-0 draw with U23 Malaysia in the second match.
Meanwhile, U23 Philippines won 2-0 against Brunei, thereby finishing the group stage as the second place in Group A.
However, because Group A has 4 teams and Group B and C have only 3 teams, the results of the second-placed team in Group A when compared to the remaining groups will not be counted against the 4th-placed team. That means the U23 Philippines' victory over Brunei (the bottom team) is not taken into account. Therefore, the Philippines only has 3 points, a + 1 goal difference and is second in Group A.
Meanwhile, in Group B, U23 Vietnam is leading the group with 1 win (3 points), U23 Cambodia is in 2nd place with 1 draw (1 point). U23 Laos is at the bottom after 1 draw and 1 loss.
In Group C, U23 Thailand leads with 3 points after 1 win, U23 Myanmar is in 2nd place after 1 draw (1 point) and U23 Timor Leste is behind with 1 draw, 1 loss (1 point).
According to the format, only the second-placed team with the best results will be allowed to enter the semi-finals. Therefore, if U23 Vietnam does not lose to Cambodia and U23 Thailand does not lose to Myanmar in the final round taking place today (July 22), U23 Philippines of Group A will win a ticket to continue.
