Vietnam to face Hong Kong in opener at AFC U20 Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers

Vietnam's U20 football team (Photo: Vietnam Football Federation)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese football players will play against their rivals from Hong Kong (China) in their first match on September 14 in the Qualifiers of the AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023.

According to the schedule freshly announced by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the team will then face Timor Leste on September 16 and the host Indonesia two days later.

Gathering 44 teams, the qualifying round is divided into 10 groups whose matches will be hosted by 10 countries.

According to this year’s competition format, 10 winners and 5 best runners-up from the group stage will be advanced to the final round hosted by Uzbekistan from March 1 – 18, 2023. In case that Uzbekistan are among the 5 best runner-up teams, a runner-up with the 6th best record will secure a slot for the finals.

For the best results at the qualifiers, the Vietnamese squad and their coach Dinh The Nam have gathered for training since July 22. The players are now in southern Binh Duong province to compete in an international U19 tournament with the participation of guest teams, including Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar. The tournament will take place from August 5-11./.