OFFICIAL: Vietnam U23 will not use overage players at the ASIAD

Vietnam U23 will assemble from July 29 to prepare for the 2026 ASIAD and will not use the option to register three overage players.

Draw results for the men's football event at the 2026 ASIAD placed Vietnam U23 in Group C alongside Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Kuwait. The 20th ASIAD will take place in Aichi and Nagoya (Japan) from September 19 to October 4, 2026. The men's football event is for players born on or after January 1, 2003, and each team can register a maximum of three overage players.

To prepare for the 2026 ASIAD, the Vietnam U23 team will reconvene from July 29 with a squad combining U23 and U21 players. This is an important preparation step to build a deep squad, enhance competitiveness, and create opportunities for young players to gain international experience, aiming for long-term goals.

The draw ceremony took place in Japan with representatives of the teams and a welcome artistic performance by the host country. Notably, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan – President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), member of the AFC Executive Committee, and Chairman of the AFC Competitions Committee – was entrusted by the AFC to serve as the Head of the Men's Football Event Management Committee for the 2026 ASIAD in Nagoya.

At the draw, Vietnam U23 was placed in Pot 1 alongside host Japan, China, and South Korea thanks to their quarterfinal achievement at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup. This helped them avoid these three opponents in the group stage. Pot 2 consisted of Uzbekistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand; Pot 3 included Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, and the Philippines; while Pot 4 comprised Kuwait, Hong Kong (China), and North Korea.

The men's football event at the 2026 ASIAD has 15 participating teams, divided into 4 groups: three groups of 4 teams and one group of 3 teams. The teams will play a single round-robin, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.

The specific draw results are as follows:

Group A:Japan, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong (China).

Group B:China, UAE, Iran, North Korea.

Group C:Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Philippines, Kuwait.

Group D:South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar.

The best result of Vietnamese men's football at the Asian Games was reaching the semifinals of the 2018 ASIAD under coach Park Hang Seo. At that time, the team was stopped by South Korea with a score of 1-3 and finished the tournament in fourth place.