Vietnam drawn in Group D of AFC U23 Championship 2020 finals

The draw for the finals of the AFC U23 Championship 2020 took place in Bangkok, Thailand, on September 26.

Host-nation Thailand were put in Group A, along with Iraq, Australia, and Bahrain.

Qatar, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria were drawn in Group B.

Elsewhere, Uzbekistan, the Republic of Korea, China, and Iran make up Group C.

The 16 teams competing at the tournament have been divided into four groups with the top two teams from each group progressing to the quarter-final stage. The competition’s best three teams will earn the right to compete in the men’s football event at the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The final round of the AFC U23 Championship 2020 is set to get underway in Thailand from January 8 to January 26 next year.

Four stadiums in Thailand have been selected to host the tournament, including Rajamangala in Bangkok with 50,000 seats, Tinsulanon in Songkhla with a capacity of 45,000, Thammasat in Pathum Thani with 25,000 seats, and the Chang arena in Buriram with a capacity of 33,000.

The 2016 version of the tournament was a dismal failure for Vietnam’s U23 side under the management of Japanese coach Miura. The team lost all three games in the group stage against Jordan, Australia, and the UAE, leading to the coach being sacked.

Two years later the team performed miracles in China whilst under the guidance of Park Hang-seo, defeating strong rivals in Iraq and Qatar on the way to finishing as runners-up of the AFC U23 Championship 2018, only losing to Uzbekistani in the final.