After overcoming U23 Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals, U23 China created one of the biggest surprises at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship. The victory over the opponent considered the leading force in the continent made Chinese media excited. However, accompanied by caution when talking about the next obstacle named U23 Vietnam.
A famous newspaper of the billion-population country frankly commented: "The next opponent is U23 Vietnam. This team is in extremely high form with a record of 4 consecutive wins. It must be determined that Vietnam will be a more difficult challenge than Uzbekistan and the most difficult opponent of China at this year's tournament".
Sharing the same view, another newspaper emphasized: "Since the beginning of the tournament, U23 Vietnam has been the most difficult opponent that U23 China has faced. They have an effective playing style and remarkable stability".
Some newspapers also recalled the most recent confrontation between the two teams at the Panda Cup friendly tournament in November last year with a 1-0 victory belonging to U23 Vietnam.
Meanwhile, another media channel also posted an article with the cautious title: "The journey continues, the opponent is Vietnam and the difficulty is increasing with each round".
On the social network Weibo, Chinese fans believe that the semi-final match with U23 Vietnam is a real challenge for the young team of the populous country, even though they entered this round with impressive defensive achievements when they have not conceded any goals after 4 matches.
According to the schedule, the 2026 AFC U23 Championship semi-final match between U23 China and U23 Vietnam will take place at 10:30 PM on January 20th.
