Does the U23 Vietnam team have to take a penalty shootout against Yemen to advance?

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers specify that penalty kicks can be used if both teams are equal in every statistical measure.

After narrowly defeating U23 Singapore in the second match of Group C in the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, U23 Vietnam holds significant advantages to secure qualification. They have the same 6 points as U23 Yemen but are ranked higher due to a better goal difference.

Therefore, as long as U23 Vietnam does not lose to U23 Yemen in the final match, they will definitely qualify for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship as group winners. Currently, U23 Vietnam and U23 Yemen both have 6 points and have scored 3 goals after 2 matches, but Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team has yet to concede a goal, whereas U23 Yemen has conceded once.

However, if U23 Yemen had not conceded against Singapore in the first match, the West Asian team would likely have the same goal difference as U23 Vietnam (+3, 3 goals scored, 0 conceded). In that case, if the two teams draw in the final match, a penalty shootout would be required.

According to the tournament regulations, a penalty shootout will be used if Two teams have the same points, identical tiebreakers (goal difference, goals scored, goals conceded), and draw with each other in the last match.In some other competitions, if teams are still tied after goals scored, fair-play points are considered (the team with fewer disciplinary cards ranks higher).

Fortunately, even if U23 Vietnam draws with Yemen in the final match, they will still be ranked above their opponent and officially advance as group winners. Coach Kim Sang Sik’s team holds the decisive advantage in Group C. Even if they lose, 6 points might still allow U23 Vietnam to progress as one of the four best runners-up.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers feature 44 national U23 teams divided into 11 groups, playing a single round-robin at centralized venues from September 1 to September 9, 2025. The 11 group winners and the 4 best runners-up will qualify for the final tournament held in Saudi Arabia in 2026. The host nation qualifies automatically without participating in the qualifiers.