The group stage of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship closed after an exciting and dramatic series of matches, thereby fully identifying the 8 teams participating in the quarter-finals.
Group A witnessed the convincing performance of U23 Vietnam. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team won all 3 matches, successively defeating U23 Jordan (2-0), U23 Kyrgyzstan (2-1) and U23 Saudi Arabia (1-0) to win all 9 points along with the top spot. Meanwhile, U23 Jordan ranked second in the group with 6 points.
Group B closed with the leading position belonging to U23 Japan. "Green Samurai" also won all 9 points. Meanwhile, the remaining ticket belonged to U23 UAE with second place in the group.
In Group C, U23 Uzbekistan played stably to win the top spot, while U23 Korea ranked second. Both teams showed bravery at key moments, promising to be a big challenge for opponents.
Group D witnessed U23 Thailand stopping early. The two teams that won tickets to the next round were U23 Australia with the top position in the group and U23 China ranked second after effective performances.
According to the branch, in the quarterfinals, U23 Vietnam will face U23 UAE; U23 Jordan faces U23 Japan; U23 Uzbekistan meets U23 China; U23 Korea competes with U23 Australia.
AFC U23 Championship 2026 quarter-final schedule:
6:30 PM on January 16: U23 Japan - U23 Jordan
10:30 PM on January 16: U23 Vietnam - U23 UAE
18:30 on January 17th: U23 Uzbekistan - U23 China
10:30 PM on January 17th: U23 Korea - U23 Australia
