AFC: U23 Vietnam strives to win the AFC U23 Asian Cup for the first time

The AFC homepage highly praises Coach Kim Sang Sik's squad ahead of the upcoming continental tournament - the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website recently published an article highlighting the strength of Vietnam's U23 team at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, scheduled from January 7 to 25, 2026, in Saudi Arabia.

At the start of the article, the AFC expresses great confidence in Coach Kim Sang Sik's team, suggesting they could contend for the championship title: "Vietnam will strive to lift the AFC U23 Asian Cup trophy for the first time when they participate in the tournament in Saudi Arabia in 2026," the AFC wrote.

"Vietnam will enter the competition with confidence after an excellent qualifying campaign, finishing top of their group without conceding a goal. Their place in the final tournament was secured with victories over Bangladesh (2-0), Singapore (1-0), and Yemen (10-0).

Placed in Group A, Vietnam will kick off their campaign facing Jordan, followed by matches against Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia, and they are optimistic about securing one of the two quarterfinal spots. A key figure in their journey will be midfielder Khuất Văn Khang, who has established himself as a core player for the national team.

The 21-year-old player has appeared 37 times and scored 4 goals for the U23 team, while also making notable contributions to the senior national team with 1 goal in 22 appearances. After failing to progress beyond the quarterfinals since finishing runners-up in 2018, Vietnam aims to reaffirm their status on the continental stage, the AFC analysis noted.

In fact, the Vietnam U23 team is currently in high spirits as they recently won the gold medal at SEA Games 33 held in Thailand.

On the evening of December 19, after completing their mission, Coach Kim Sang Sik and his squad returned home. According to plans, the team will regroup in Hanoi on December 23 to prepare for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals, taking place in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to 25, 2026.

On December 26, the entire team will depart for a training camp in Qatar, where they are expected to play a friendly match against the U23 Syria team before heading to Saudi Arabia on January 1, 2026.

Summary information about Vietnam U23 at the AFC U23 Asian Cup

• Previous appearances: 5
• Best achievement: Runner-up (2018)
• 2024 result: Eliminated in qualifiers
• Interesting fact: The only time Vietnam did not qualify for the final tournament was the inaugural edition in 2013.