OFFICIAL: AFC makes a ruling, Vietnam receives the happiest news possible.

The Vietnamese men's and women's football teams have confirmed their seeding groups ahead of the 2026 ASIAD draw, with the U23 Vietnam team placed in Pot 1.

The organizing committee of the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 2026) has announced the draw principles for men's and women's football. Accordingly, both the Vietnamese men's and women's football teams have confirmed their seeding pots before the group draw ceremony on July 23.

Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan – President of the Vietnam Football Federation, member of the AFC Standing Committee, and Chairman of the AFC Competitions Committee – has been entrusted by the AFC to serve as the Head of the Men's Football Committee for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. In the men's football event, 15 participating teams will be divided into 4 groups, including 3 groups of 4 teams and 1 group of 3 teams. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals.

According to the seeding principles based on performances at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals, the U23 Vietnam team has been placed in Pot 1, along with hosts Japan, China, and South Korea. This result reflects the impressive performance of U23 Vietnam in continental competitions recently, and also helps the team avoid facing the strongest opponents right from the group stage.

The seeding pots for men's football are:

Pot 1:Japan, China,Vietnam, South Korea.

Pot 2:Uzbekistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Thailand.

Pot 3:Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Philippines.

Pot 4:Kuwait, Hong Kong (China), DPR Korea.

Meanwhile, in the women's football event, 12 teams will be divided into 3 groups, each consisting of 4 teams. The six group winners and runners-up, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals.

Based on performances at the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup finals, the Vietnamese women's team has been placed in Pot 3, along with Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. Hosts Japan, along with China and South Korea, are in Pot 1.

The seeding pots for women's football are:

Pot 1:Japan, China, South Korea.

Pot 2:DPR Korea, Philippines, Chinese Taipei.

Pot 3:Uzbekistan,Vietnam, Bangladesh.

Pot 4:Myanmar, Thailand, Hong Kong (China).

According to the draw procedure, hosts Japan are automatically placed in the first position of Group A (men's football) and Group E (women's football). The remaining teams will be assigned to groups through the tournament's draw mechanism.

The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, bringing together the strongest teams in Asia to compete. This is also one of the important goals for Vietnamese women's football in 2026, alongside tournaments under the AFC and FIFA systems.