The intense drama of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 qualifiers has come to an end. Out of the 45 participating nations, only 15 teams have booked their places at the final tournament in China next February.
In accordance with the regulations, there are two main criteria that each team must meet in order to qualify for the finals: either top of their qualifying group or be among the top five runners-up.
Among the qualified teams, only Indonesia and Thailand will represent Southeast Asia. Indonesia secured their place in the final after topping Group F, while Thailand qualified as one of the best runners-up after finishing second in Group H.
Indonesia Qualify for Third Consecutive AFC U-20 Asian Cup Final Round
Indonesia's U-20 national team have achieved another impressive feat by booking a place in the final of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025. This was confirmed after a 1-1 draw with Yemen U-20 in the final match of the qualifying round.
Indra Sjafri's side had been impressive throughout the qualifying campaign, recording two convincing victories over Maldives and Timor-Leste. These results put Garuda Nusantara at the top of Group F with seven points from three matches.
This success continues a positive trend for the Indonesian U-20 team in recent editions of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup. In 2018, Indonesia qualified automatically as hosts, while the 2021 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic.
In the 2023 edition, under the guidance of coach Shin Tae-yong, Indonesia once again demonstrated their dominance by winning all their qualifying matches, including a crucial victory over Vietnam, to finish top of Group F.
By qualifying for the 2025 edition, Indonesia's U-20 national team have made history by securing a place in three consecutive AFC U-20 Asian Cups for the first time.
Thrilling Qualifiers: Thailand Prevail!
Five tickets to the final of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 were up for grabs among the ten teams that finished runners-up in their respective groups. According to the final standings, the five best runners-up were Yemen, Australia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand and Jordan.
Competition for the best runner-up spots was fierce, with countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and India also collecting six points. However, Thailand and Jordan were able to rise above the competition thanks to their superior goal difference, which proved to be the deciding factor. Thailand finished with a goal difference of +17, while Jordan finished with a goal difference of +8.
Vietnam Suffer Dramatic AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 Exit
Vietnam suffered a heartbreaking defeat after failing to qualify for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025. A narrow 1-0 defeat to Syria ended their hopes, despite only needing a draw to advance.
Unfortunately, Vietnam were eliminated on goal difference. Thailand and Jordan secured their places in the final with better goal difference. India and Cambodia suffered the same fate as Vietnam.
Bitter End for the Philippines
The Philippines' U-20 team officially crashed out of qualifying for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2025 after losses to Thailand and Iraq. Although they ended their campaign with a 4-0 win over Brunei in their final match, it wasn't enough to keep their qualification hopes alive.
The Philippines finished the qualifiers in Group H with three points and a goal difference of -3, mirroring their 2022 qualifying record. Despite losses to Iraq (2-0) and Thailand (5-0), the Philippines put in a solid performance in their final match against Brunei.
