Coach Kim Sang-sik's team closed the group stage of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship with an unbeatable result when they defeated host U23 Saudi Arabia with a score of 1-0 thanks to Dinh Bac's goal.
This result helped U23 Vietnam win 3 consecutive matches in the group stage in a U23 Asian Championship final for the first time.
For the host U23 Saudi Arabia, the defeat to U23 Vietnam also means that they have officially stopped in the group stage. Because in the match at the same time, U23 Jordan also had a 1-0 victory over U23 Kyrgyzstan to win second place in Group A.
The top spot in Group A with 9 absolute points for U23 Vietnam will help them avoid the opponent considered a candidate for the U23 Japan championship in the quarterfinals.
Because in Group B, U23 Japan officially won the top spot in the group after 2 rounds. They won absolute victories 5-0 against U23 Syria and 3-0 against U23 UAE.
In the final match, U23 Japan's opponent was U23 Qatar, and despite conceding a defeat in this match, U23 Japan still maintained the top spot in Group B.
U23 Vietnam's opponent may be the winning team in the match between U23 Syria and U23 UAE. Both teams have 3 points (U23 UAE ranked above due to better goal difference) and will have to play a decisive match to win a ticket to the next round.
