The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the referee team on duty in the opening match of Group A of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Finals. In which, the name of the referee for the match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Jordan is noteworthy. This responsibility is assigned to Mr. Choi Hyun-jai - a Korean referee.
The match will take place at 6:30 PM on January 6 (Vietnam time) at King Abdullah Sports City Hall stadium in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). The opening match of coach Kim Sang-sik's team is of great significance in the race to win tickets to the next round in Group A.
Mr. Choi Hyun-jai has been officiated by AFC many times in matches with the participation of Vietnamese football at both youth and regional levels. U23 Vietnam is also no stranger to this "king in black" when he has officiated at SEA Games, U23 Southeast Asian and many tournaments belonging to the AFC system.
Most recently, at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers held at Viet Tri Stadium in September 2025, referee Choi Hyun-jai refereed the match between U23 Vietnam and U23 Singapore. The match went smoothly, leaving no much controversy about the management.
Also on January 6, the remaining match of Group A between the host U23 Saudi Arabia and U23 Kyrgyzstan will take place at 11:00 PM. This match is officiated by referee Fu Ming (China).
