2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup
| كأس آسيا تحت 23 سنة 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | 7–25 January |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
← 2024 2028 → | |
The 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup will be the 7th edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup (previously the AFC U-23 Championship before rebranding from 2021.[1]), the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. The tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia between 7 and 25 January.[2]
Japan are the defending champions.
Host selection
[edit]In July 2023, the AFC Competitions Committee announced that each non-Olympic edition of the tournament would be hosted by the same association hosting the next AFC Asian Cup.[3] So Saudi Arabia will be hosting this edition as well.
Qualification
[edit]Qualification matches are scheduled to be played between 1 and 9 September 2025.[2][4]
Qualified teams
[edit]| Team | Qualified as | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia |
Hosts | 7th | Champions (2022) |
Venues
[edit]To be confirmed.
References
[edit]- ^ "AFC rebrands age group championships to AFC Asian Cups". AFC. 2 October 2020.
- ^ a b "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2025 - Jun 2026)" (PDF). AFC.
- ^ "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions". Asian Football Confederation. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers groups finalised". Asian Football Confederation. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
External links
[edit]- AFC U23 Asian Cup, the-AFC.com
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