Recently, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced the list of four teams participating in the CFA Team China U23 2026 international friendly tournament, taking place in Xi'an from March 25 to 31.
The participating teams include U23 China, U23 Iran, U23 North Korea and U23 Thailand. The appearance of U23 Thailand in the guest list instead of U23 Vietnam is considered a surprise, when previously many sources said that coach Kim Sang Sik's team is likely to participate with U23 Uzbekistan.
The absence of U23 Vietnam is regrettable because the two sides have maintained a fairly dense frequency of confrontations in recent years, from friendly matches to official tournaments.
In the 2024-2025 period, the Vietnam U23 team is regularly invited by the CFA to participate in four-team tournaments, considered a familiar friction partner of Chinese youth football.
At the tournament held at the end of last year before SEA Games 33, U23 Vietnam once defeated the host with a score of 1-0, but in the end still ranked last in the group when competing with South Korea and Uzbekistan. In the continental arena, U23 China also overcame U23 Vietnam in the semi-finals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.
In the context of heading towards ASIAD 2026, the CFA's choice of Thailand and Iran may reflect the need to find new opponents to diversify testing options.
Not participating in the tournament in China, U23 Vietnam is likely to gather domestically in March to review the force. The core of the gathering is expected to be the group of U21 players in the long-term planning for ASIAD 2026, thereby helping the coaching staff build a personnel framework and shape the playing style for the upcoming preparation period.
