U23 Vietnam qualified for the semi-finals after a winning streak at the tournament. In the quarter-finals, the red shirt team continued to show effectiveness in their playing style, maintaining an unbeaten streak extending to 15 matches. Meanwhile, U23 China had to struggle to overcome U23 Uzbekistan after 120 minutes without goals and a tense penalty shootout, with goalkeeper Li Hao becoming the most prominent figure.
In terms of head-to-head history, U23 Vietnam is dominant with 2 wins, 1 draw and only 1 loss in 4 encounters with U23 China. However, data on squad value shows a significant difference between the two teams.
According to data from Transfermarkt, the total value of the U23 Vietnam squad at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals is only about 3.13 million euros, less than half of the 8.5 million euros of U23 China. This is considered a large gap if we put the two teams on the scale of personnel potential.
In the U23 Vietnam squad, Nguyen Dinh Bac and Khuat Van Khang are the two players with the highest valuation at 300,000 euros. Followed by Nguyen Thai Son (250,000 euros). Some other faces such as Nguyen Phi Hoang, Viktor Le or goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien are valued at 200,000 euros. Most of the remaining players range from 150,000 to 75,000 euros, while goalkeeper Pham Dinh Hai has no specific valuation.
In the opposite direction, U23 China possesses many individuals with outstandingly high values. Striker Wang Yudong is valued at 1.5 million euros, 5 times the most expensive player of U23 Vietnam. Defender Hu Hetao is valued at 700,000 euros, along with two other players reaching the milestone of 500,000 euros. Even goalkeeper Li Hao is also valued at 350,000 euros.
The difference in team value shows that U23 China is rated higher in terms of potential and force depth. However, in the context that U23 Vietnam is maintaining stable form and cohesive play, the numerical gap does not necessarily reflect the entire situation of the semi-final match taking place at 10:30 pm tonight (January 20).
