Table A
With 6 points after two legs at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, U23 Vietnam is facing a very big opportunity to participate in the knockout round. The important 2-1 victory over Kyrgyzstan, along with the unexpected result in the Jordan - Saudi Arabia match, has brought coach Kim Sang-sik's team to the top of Group A.
At the present time, although Jordan and Saudi Arabia are chasing behind with 3 points, the advantage of self-determination is still entirely in the hands of the golden star warriors.
The most feasible goal of U23 Vietnam at this time is a draw against host Saudi Arabia to definitely maintain the top spot in the group. If we complete the task, we will advance to the quarter-finals as the top team of Group A without relying on the result of the remaining match.
Even in an unfavorable scenario - losing to Saudi Arabia - the door to the next round is still wide open for Vietnam if Kyrgyzstan creates a surprise and stops Jordan.
Table B
After two matches in Group B, U23 Japan soon won a ticket to the knockout round with the top spot in the group. U23 UAE and U23 Syria both have 3 points, temporarily sharing the next two positions, while U23 Qatar has not won any points and has been officially eliminated.
In the final match, U23 Japan meets Qatar in a procedural match. The focus of the group will be on the direct confrontation between U23 UAE and U23 Syria, where the remaining ticket is decided.
In terms of situation, the UAE has a clear advantage. They only need 1 point to advance thanks to a better sub-index than Syria (-1 compared to -4). Conversely, U23 Syria has no choice but a victory if they want to decide their own fate.
Table C
U23 Korea and U23 Uzbekistan are currently tied with 4 points, sharing the top two positions in Group C. Followed by U23 Iran (2 points), while U23 Lebanon has no points and is temporarily at the bottom of the group.
In the final match, U23 South Korea faces Uzbekistan, while Iran faces Lebanon. With the current score, South Korea and Uzbekistan only need a goal-drawn draw to win tickets to the quarterfinals together.
In case South Korea and Uzbekistan draw, and Iran wins against Lebanon, then the three teams South Korea, Uzbekistan and Iran will have 5 points together. The ticket to the next round will be determined based on the direct head-to-head record between the three teams (round-robin head-to-head).
Previously, both South Korea and Uzbekistan drew with Iran 0-0. Therefore, if South Korea and Uzbekistan draw with a score (e.g. 1-1, 2-2...), these two teams will have a better head-to-head record than Iran in the comparison group, thereby gaining an advantage to advance.
With Iran, the clearest path to self-determination is to defeat Lebanon and at the same time wait for the South Korea - Uzbekistan match to decide the winner and loser. Only then will Iran have the opportunity to take the lead in the race to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Table D
U23 China temporarily leads with 4 points. Followed by U23 Australia (3 points) and U23 Iraq (2 points), while U23 Thailand only has 1 point, temporarily at the bottom of the group.
The final match of Group D will witness U23 Thailand facing U23 China, and U23 Iraq facing U23 Australia. With the current balance, U23 China only needs a draw to be sure to win a ticket to the knockout round.
In the remaining group, U23 Thailand, U23 Australia and U23 Iraq all still hold the right to self-determination. Specifically, whichever team wins the last match will automatically win a ticket to the next round, regardless of the result of the remaining match.
