
The 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers have undergone a change in the number of participating teams following the withdrawal of Lebanon, which directly impacts Vietnam’s chances of qualifying for the final tournament.
According to the AFC, Lebanon’s U17 team has officially withdrawn from the qualifiers due to domestic challenges. As a result, Group H, which initially included Lebanon, now consists of only three teams: Laos, Malaysia, and the UAE. While the number of teams in other groups remains unchanged, there will be an imbalance, with some groups having three teams, others four, and some five.
To address this, the AFC has adjusted the qualification criteria for determining the best runners-up. When comparing the second-placed teams across the groups, the results of matches against the teams ranked fourth and fifth in the respective groups will not be counted. Since Vietnam’s group has four teams, if they finish second and are vying for a spot in the finals, their result against the last-placed team in their group will be disregarded.
According to the tournament rules, the 10 group winners and the five best second-placed teams will qualify for the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup, which will be hosted in Saudi Arabia.
Vietnam’s group includes Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, and Yemen, which presents a challenging set of opponents as all teams are relatively evenly matched, with no significantly weaker side that Vietnam can easily exploit to boost their goal difference.
With Lebanon’s withdrawal, securing first place in the group is now the only sure way for Vietnam to qualify for the final tournament. Vietnam’s U17 team will begin their campaign against Kyrgyzstan at 7:00 PM on October 23 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho).
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