The national teams of Indonesia and Vietnam have been confirmed as Pot 1 or seeded teams for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers. The qualifiers, to be held next year, will see both teams seeded based on their performances in the previous edition, the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
For the 2026 edition, the tournament will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, while the qualifiers are set to take place in the year 2025.
Reasons for Pot 1 Placement
Pot allocations for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers are based on the performance of the participating countries in the previous edition. For the 2026 qualifiers, the benchmark will be the results of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
Indonesia's U-23 team secured a place in Pot 1 thanks to their performance in reaching the semi-finals or the last four of the 2024 tournament. This success positions the Garuda squad as one of the top seeds in the upcoming qualifiers.
Similarly, Vietnam earned their place in Pot 1 after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. Both Indonesia and Vietnam have shown the quality and ability to compete in the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers.
A competitive advantage in the Group stage
The 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifying competition will be divided into four 11-team groups. The 11 group winners, the four best runners-up and the host team will earn tickets to the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia.
The U-23 national teams of Indonesia and Vietnam will be placed in Pot 1 for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, along with nine other top teams including Japan, Uzbekistan and South Korea.
With both teams in the same pot, Indonesia and Vietnam will avoid having to play against these strong teams in the group stage of the qualifiers. This works to their advantage as they don't have to compete directly with other top contenders from Pot 1.
Being in Pot 1 means that the opponents that Indonesia and Vietnam's U-23 teams will face will only come from Pots 2 to 4. This lighter group makes it more likely that both countries will qualify for the final round as group winners. While it's possible to qualify as one of the best runners-up, Pot 1 status provides a strategic advantage.
Awaiting the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualification Schedule
As of now, the official schedule for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers has yet to be announced. However, the qualifiers are expected to take place in the second half of 2025. This scheduling uncertainty arises from the absence of any information about the 2026 AFC U-23 Qualification in the AFC’s 2025-2026 calendar.
AFC Announces Format Shift for U-23 Asian Cup
Notably, the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup will not serve as a pathway to the Olympics. The following edition, the 2028 U-23 Asian Cup, will instead be the qualifying event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
However, there is one important point to note: the U-23 Asian Cup used to be held every two years. This format proved to be less competitive in the race for tickets to the Olympic finals, which are held every four years.
In response, the AFC has announced that starting in 2028, the U-23 Asian Cup will be held every four years. Following the 2028 edition, the next U-23 Asian Cup will take place in 2032, as confirmed by the AFC in May 2024.
