AFC's homepage has just highlighted the most notable players from the teams participating in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals. In Group A, U23 Vietnam is in the same group as U23 Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kyrgyzstan.
U23 Vietnam: Khuat Van Khang
An energetic and intelligent midfielder, Khuat Van Khang is the heart of the team. As a regular member of the national team, this 21-year-old player brings the composure and leadership that U23 Vietnam needs to overcome the runner-up title in 2018," AFC said.
Khuat Van Khang is one of the most experienced players of U23 Vietnam. He has continuously wore the Vietnamese national team jersey in recent years, and won the ASEAN Cup 2024 with the team. With the U23/U22 team, Khang has continuously won the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, winning the SEA Games 33 gold medal.
U23 Jordan: Odeh Fakhoury
The prominent attacking threat of U23 Jordan, Fakhoury had a successful qualifying campaign and just returned after participating in the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup. His ability to find space and decisively finish makes him an important factor in Jordan's ambitions in a difficult group," AFC commented.
In the qualifiers, Odeh Fakhoury scored 5 goals - a record more than U23 Vietnam, making a great contribution to helping the home team advance. This is definitely the main player of U23 Jordan in the Asian tournament.
U23 Kyrgyzstan: Kimi Merk
In their first participation in the historic Finals, U23 Kyrgyzstan will look forward to inspiration from creative midfielder Kimi Merk of Dordoi Bishkek club. As a player who scored and created in the qualifying round, Merk's creativity will be very important as this new team seeks a favorable start," AFC commented.
In the qualifiers, Kimi Merk scored 3 goals, not to mention assists, making a great contribution to helping U23 Kyrgyzstan to top the group, ranking above U23 Uzbekistan to get a ticket to the final round.
U23 Saudi Arabia: Musab Aljuwayr
As a key member of coach Herve Renard's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, Musab Aljuwayr will bring his creative qualities to the U23 arena and if this midfielder shows the expected form, the home team can completely lift the championship cup for the second time," AFC hopes.
