Vietnam meets Uzbekistan, Kuwait, and the Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games

Vietnam U23 avoided a series of strong opponents at the 2026 Asian Games by landing in Group C with relatively "easy" rivals such as Kuwait U23 and the Philippines U23. Uzbekistan U23 is considered the biggest challenge for the "Golden Star Warriors" in this group. This team has a rich history of success and is always among the strongest in Asia at the youth level. Uzbekistan U23 also finished third in the most recent Asian Games held in China. In the past, the Central Asian team defeated Vietnam U23 under coach Park Hang-seo to win the 2018 AFC U23 Championship.

In the men's football event, after Iraq withdrew at the last minute, only 15 teams remain, divided into four groups (one group has three teams). The teams will play a round-robin to select the top two from each group for the quarterfinals. From the quarterfinals onward, the tournament adopts a knockout format until the champion is determined.

Based on their performance at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals, the Vietnam U23 team was placed in the top seed group alongside hosts Japan, China, and South Korea. These four teams also reached the semifinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, where Vietnam U23 excellently won the bronze medal by defeating South Korea U23 7-6 in a penalty shootout (2-2 after 120 minutes) in the third-place match.

As part of preparations for the future, the Vietnam U23 team participating in the upcoming 2026 Asian Games will consist of players aged between U21 and U23. The team is expected to be led by interim head coach Dinh Hong Vinh. This is because during this period, coach Kim Sang-sik is busy leading the Vietnam national team in the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup.

In the history of participating in the Asian Games, the best achievement of Vietnamese men's football was reaching the semifinals of the 2018 Asian Games. At that time, the team was stopped by South Korea with a score of 1-3. In the most recent Asian Games, the Vietnam U23 team was eliminated in the group stage.

Draw results for the men's football event
Group A: Japan, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong (China)
Group B: China, UAE, Iran, North Korea
Group C: Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Kuwait
Group D: South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar