Vietnam U20 faces difficulties as they are grouped with Iran and North Korea in the Asian qualifiers.

The Vietnam U20 team will serve as the host nation for Group C in the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifying round, competing against Iran, North Korea, and Palestine.

The 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup China qualifiers promise to be highly exciting following the official draw ceremony held at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 2:00 PM today (May 28).

Taking place from August 25 to September 6, 2026 in a centralized format, this year's qualifiers will adopt a new format as part of the AFC youth competition reforms approved earlier in 2026.

In order to create more competitive and meaningful matches while allowing teams to face opponents of similar skill levels, the AFC has implemented a two-stage competition system with promotion and relegation mechanisms.

In the Qualifying Stage, 32 teams are divided into 8 groups of 4. The group winners and the seven best runners-up will qualify for the 43rd AFC U20 Asian Cup finals. Meanwhile, the last-placed team in each group will be relegated to the Development Stage in the next cycle.

For the Development Stage of the upcoming qualifiers, 12 teams are divided into 3 groups of 4. The three group winners and the three runners-up will be promoted to the Qualifying Stage in the next cycle.

In Group A of the Qualifying Stage, 12-time champions South Korea will compete alongside host Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, and Lebanon. Meanwhile, Group B consists of host Uzbekistan, Syria, India, and Bangladesh.

Group C will see Iran compete alongside host Vietnam U20, North Korea, and Palestine for a direct ticket to the finals. Group D features Jordan, Tajikistan, host Bahrain, and Afghanistan.

Group E includes Saudi Arabia, host Qatar, Oman, and Hong Kong (China), while Group F has Iraq, host Thailand, the UAE, and Turkmenistan.

Group G also promises many exciting matches as Japan, Yemen, host Cambodia, and Kuwait vie for a place in the next round.

Defending champions Australia are in Group H together with Indonesia, Malaysia, and host Laos.

In the Development Stage, Group I features host Mongolia, Guam, Nepal, and the Northern Mariana Islands competing for two promotion spots. Group J consists of Chinese Taipei, Singapore, host Bhutan, and Macau. Meanwhile, Group K includes host Myanmar, Maldives, Brunei Darussalam, and Sri Lanka.

The 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup China finals are scheduled to take place from March 24 to April 10, 2027.