AFC has just officially approved the awarding of the right to host the 2028 AFC U23 Championship finals to Japan. The tournament will also play the role of a regional qualifying round for a spot to participate in men's football at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Japan was selected after evaluating the hosting bids with competition from Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Uzbekistan. The UAE had participated in the race but withdrew earlier.
According to AFC, Japan meets well the criteria of infrastructure, organizational capacity, low operating risk, and is also consistent with the orientation of rotating the right to host major tournaments in the region.
Being granted the right to organize also helps the U23 Japan team naturally be present in the No. 1 seed group in the final round.
This is considered a positive sign for U23 Vietnam. According to AFC's seeding principle, in addition to the home team, the remaining teams will be grouped based on their achievements in the last three AFC U23 Championships (2022, 2024 and 2026).
U23 Vietnam both reached the quarter-finals at the 2022 and 2024 tournaments, before winning third place at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship after a victory over U23 Korea in the third-place match. If they pass the qualifying round, coach Kim Sang-sik's team has the opportunity to be in the No. 1 seed group, thereby avoiding many strong opponents right from the group stage.
In addition to approving the competition regulations of the 2028 AFC U23 Championship, AFC also adjusted the plan to organize youth tournaments in the near future.
Accordingly, the Uzbekistan Football Federation will host the 2027 AFC U17 Championship finals, while Saudi Arabia is granted the right to host the 2029 AFC U17 Championship. These changes are part of the AFC's strategy to optimize resources and allocate hosting rights for youth tournaments across the continent.
