16 talented players to compete in the 2022 AFC U23 Championship finals

Except for the absence of the first tournament held in Oman in 2014,U23 Vietnamhas been present at this continental playground all 4 times since then. The 4 champions are Iraq, Japan, Uzbekistan and most recently, South Korea.

Japanese candidate,Uzbekistan, Australia

Of the 16 teams, there are 4 teams that "reserve" the second place in the group, namely Thailand, Tajikistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, only Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are participating in the continental youth football playground for the first time. Thailand has participated 3 times, while Saudi Arabia has participated in this playground 4 times and has reached the final 2 times. Thailand got a ticket to Uzbekistan when it only won against Laos, drew with Mongolia and Malaysia.

Among the top 11 teams, Malaysia and Kuwait are the teams that have only participated once in the 2022 AFC U23 Championship finals. If Malaysia participated in 2018, Kuwait has participated since 2014. The group of teams that have participated in all 4 previous finals includes host Uzbekistan, Iraq, Jordan, Australia, South Korea, and Japan, of which South Korea is the defending champion.

Japan U23 is the number 1 candidate for the championship. Photo Japantimes

Uzbekistan U23 is a candidate for the championship because of its strength and home field advantage. Last year, Uzbekistan U23 also reached the semi-finals of the tournament in Thailand. Although not counted for points in the qualifying round, Uzbekistan U23 drew with Saudi Arabia, crushed Bangladesh and Kuwait.

With 1 champion, 1 runner-up and 2 times ranked 4th, Korean youth football is considered the best in the continent. The Korean youth team crushed Singapore, Timor-Leste and the Philippines, scoring 14 goals, conceding only 1, too strong. Of course, they will also be the brightest candidate for the 2022 AFC U23 Championship, although so far no team has been able to defend the title.

Iraq is the second best team with 1 championship and 1 third place, but in the last 2 seasons, this team has not gone far. The Australian team is always highly regarded in the continent, but their best youth football achievement is third place at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand. It is indisputable that U23 Australia is on the list of candidates for the championship.

The Surprise Group

The group of teams that have been present at the continental youth football festival three times includes Vietnam, Qatar, Iran, and UAE. Qatar is the reigning Asian champion thanks to its methodical investment in youth training, so when coming to Uzbekistan this time, the young Qatari players also want to do the same as their seniors. Iran has always been considered a West Asian football powerhouse, and their U23 team has just proven its strength with three consecutive wins, including a 3-2 victory over the host Tajikistan in the qualifying round. However, the fact that Iran U23 has never been in the top 4 of the U23 Asia is probably due to the lack of a good coach.

“I think there is still a long way to go. Football never predicts anything,” Captain Hai Long said at the press conference. Photo: VFF

U23 Vietnam officially got the ticket with 2 minimal 1-0 wins against Chinese Taipei and Myanmar. In the 3 previous participations, U23 Vietnam's best achievement was runner-up in the 2018 tournament in China. But having to leave early in the 2020 U23 Asian Cup finals and 2 unconvincing victories, we must try harder. The players have little playing time, Coach Park is in charge of both teams, which is considered the main reason why Hai Long and his teammates have not been able to fully demonstrate their professional abilities and play without cohesion.