After the first 2 matches, U23 Vietnam temporarily leads Group A of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team successively defeated U23 Jordan 2-0 and U23 Kyrgyzstan 2-1, thereby winning all 6 points.
Second in the group is U23 Jordan with 3 points (effectiveness -1), equal points with U23 Saudi Arabia (effectiveness 0) but better in head-to-head ratio. Meanwhile, U23 Kyrgyzstan soon parted ways with the tournament after 2 consecutive defeats.
With the current situation, just needing to win 1 more point or defeat U23 Saudi Arabia, U23 Vietnam will definitely top the group with a minimum of 7 points, thereby reaching the quarter-finals.
In case of losing, the door to the next round is still not closed for U23 Vietnam. If U23 Jordan does not beat U23 Kyrgyzstan, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will hold second place in the group with 6 points and advance.
The most difficult situation occurred when U23 Vietnam lost to U23 Saudi Arabia, and U23 Jordan won against U23 Kyrgyzstan. At that time, the 3 teams Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Jordan would have 6 points together.
According to the tournament regulations, the ranking will be determined based on the direct head-to-head record between the three teams, before considering goal difference.
In this head-to-head group, Vietnam defeated Jordan 2-0, Jordan defeated Saudi Arabia 3-2. Therefore, U23 Vietnam will only be disadvantaged if they lose to U23 Saudi Arabia with a difference of 3 goals or more.
In case of defeat with a close score or a difference of no more than 2 goals, U23 Vietnam still has a chance to rank above Jordan and win a ticket to the quarterfinals.
