After 2 consecutive wins against U23 Jordan and U23 Kyrgyzstan, U23 Vietnam almost has the right to decide for themselves in the race to win tickets to the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
Before the final match against U23 Saudi Arabia, coach Kim Sang-sik's team is facing many different scenarios to advance. Among them, the simplest is not losing to the home team (winning or drawing). At that time, U23 Vietnam will finish the group stage with at least 7 points and end up at the top of Group A.
Even in the event of losing to U23 Saudi Arabia, U23 Vietnam's chances of going further are still there if U23 Jordan does not beat U23 Kyrgyzstan in the match at the same time. At that time, Dinh Bac and his teammates will be ranked second in the group with 6 points and win tickets to the quarterfinals without considering additional indicators.
The most disadvantageous scenario occurs when U23 Vietnam loses to U23 Saudi Arabia, while U23 Jordan defeats U23 Kyrgyzstan. At that time, Group A will feature 3 teams with 6 points.
According to regulations, the ranking between teams equal to points is determined based on direct head-to-head achievements, including points and goal difference in matches between related teams.
U23 Vietnam will only be eliminated in the only case of defeat to U23 Saudi Arabia with a difference of 3 goals or more, specifically a score of 0-3 or over 3 goals. If losing with a smaller score, Mr. Kim Sang-sik's team still has the right to decide and win a ticket to continue.
A noteworthy scenario is when U23 Vietnam lost to U23 Saudi Arabia 1-4, and U23 Jordan surpassed U23 Kyrgyzstan. At that time, considering the head-to-head record between the 3 teams with 6 points, U23 Saudi Arabia will rise to the top of the table, while U23 Vietnam and U23 Jordan have equal stats.
According to the tournament regulations, head-to-head comparisons will continue to be applied separately to the remaining two teams. Thanks to a direct victory over U23 Jordan, U23 Vietnam will take the lead and rank above the opponent, thereby still winning the right to the next round.
