The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held the draw for the tournament in Malaysia on May 28. Vietnam, placed in Pot 2, will also host one of the qualification groups.
According to the draw results, Vietnam are in Group C with Palestine, North Korea and Iran. The group is considered a major challenge for coach Yutaka Ikeuchi’s side.
The groups for the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers (Photo: VFF).
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said Iran are viewed as the strongest contenders as a Pot 1 team and one of Asia’s most established youth football nations.
Meanwhile, North Korea and Palestine are also regarded as highly competitive opponents, setting up an intense race for qualification.
Under the tournament format, 32 teams in the qualification stage are divided into eight groups of four teams each, playing a single round robin format from August 31 to September 6.
The eight group winners and the seven best runners up will qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 finals in China.
A new feature this year is AFC’s introduction of a two tier competition system comprising the Qualification Phase and the Development Phase.
Higher ranked teams will compete in the Qualification Phase, while 12 lower ranked teams will play in the Development Phase to gain more international experience and improve their level.
Notably, the six lowest ranked fourth placed teams in the Qualification Phase will be relegated to the Development Phase, while the three group winners and three runners up from the Development Phase will be promoted for the next edition.
At present, Vietnam’s U19 team are preparing for the ASEAN U19 Championship in Indonesia, scheduled from June 1 to June 13. Vietnam are grouped with Indonesia, Timor Leste and Myanmar.
