Live draw ceremony for ASIAD 2026 football: Which group will U23 Vietnam be in?

The draw for the group stages of men's and women's football at the 2026 Asian Games (ASIAD) is scheduled for today, July 23.

Live draw for ASIAD 2026 men's football

• Time: 11:30 AM on July 23, 2026, Vietnam time.
• Venue: Hilton Nagoya Hotel, Japan.
• Broadcast channel: Official YouTube channel of the ASIAD 2026 Organizing Committee (AINAGOC/OCA).

The draw for team sports at ASIAD 2026 will be held from 11:30 AM to 3:50 PM on July 23. Fans can watch the event live on the YouTube platform of the 2026 Asian Games Organizing Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.

Before the draw, the opening ceremony will take place at 11:00 AM with representatives from the ASIAD Organizing Committee, the Olympic Council of Asia, the Japan Sports Agency, and the Japanese Olympic Committee. After the group allocation is completed, the organizers will hold a press conference to announce the results for each team sport.

Notable information about ASIAD 2026 men's football

The 20th Asian Games will be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Among the events, men's football continues to attract significant attention due to the participation of many top youth teams from across the continent.

According to the published list, the men's football event has a total of 15 teams participating. The teams will be divided into 4 groups: three groups of 4 teams and one group of 3 teams. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

Host Japan is fixed in the top position of Group A. The remaining teams will be allocated to groups through the draw results. Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan, President of the Vietnam Football Federation, has been appointed by the AFC as the Head of the Men's Football Steering Committee at ASIAD 2026.

U23 Vietnam is placed in Pot 1

The seeding pots are determined based on the teams' performances at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup. Thanks to their impressive results in that continental tournament, U23 Vietnam has been placed in Pot 1 alongside Japan, China, and South Korea.

The seeding pots for ASIAD 2026 men's football are as follows:

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), North Korea.

With their top seeding position, U23 Vietnam will avoid facing Japan, China, and South Korea in the group stage. However, the young Vietnamese team could still be drawn into a group with formidable opponents such as Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, or Thailand.

In the women's football event, the Vietnam women's team is in Pot 3 along with Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. The draw results will significantly impact the chances of both Vietnamese representatives competing for knockout-stage berths at ASIAD 2026.