Hanoi, 27 May 2026 – According to an official announcement from the Vietnam Football Federation, Vietnam will be one of the eight host nations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, while U20 Vietnam have been placed in Pot 2 for the upcoming draw.
The official draw ceremony for the qualification stage will take place on May 28 at the Asian Football Confederation headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. U20 Vietnam will not only compete on home soil but will also enter the draw as one of the seeded teams in Pot 2.
A major change for this edition is the introduction of a new two-tier competition system by the AFC, consisting of a Qualification Phase and a Development Phase. The 32 higher-ranked teams will compete in the Qualification Phase, divided into eight groups of four teams playing in centralized round-robin tournaments. Meanwhile, the remaining 12 teams will participate in the Development Phase across three groups.
U20 Vietnam qualified for the Qualification Phase after being ranked 14th in Asia based on performances at the AFC U20 Asian Cups in 2023 and 2025, as well as the AFC U19 Championship 2018. The Vietnamese side joins Pot 2 alongside U20 Qatar, Indonesia, Syria, Thailand, Yemen, Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan.
Vietnam is also among the eight countries selected to host Qualification Phase groups, together with Bahrain, Cambodia, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Qatar, Thailand, and Uzbekistan. Bhutan, Mongolia, and Myanmar will organize the Development Phase groups.
Under the draw regulations, all host nations will first be separated to ensure they are placed in different groups. The draw will then proceed from Pot 4 to Pot 1. As a Pot 2 team, U20 Vietnam will automatically occupy Position 2 in their group.
According to the tournament format, the eight group winners and the seven best runners-up from the Qualification Phase will qualify for the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 finals, alongside the host nation, which receives automatic qualification.
At the same time, the six lowest-ranked teams in the Qualification Phase will be relegated to the Development Phase for the next cycle. In contrast, the three group winners and three best runners-up from the Development Phase will earn promotion.
The AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers are scheduled to take place from August 31 to September 6, 2026. U20 Vietnam are expected to rely heavily on players from the current U19 Vietnam squad, who are gaining experience at the ASEAN U19 Championship 2026.
VSN/RPT
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