2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Saudi Arabia |
| Dates | 1–9 September 2025[1] |
| Teams | 44 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | TBD (in TBD host cities) |
← 2024 2028 → | |
The 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification will be an international men's under-23 football competition which will decide the participating teams of the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
A total of 16 teams will qualify to play in the final tournament, including the hosts who qualified automatically as hosting country.
Draw
[edit]Of the 47 AFC member associations, a total of 44 teams entered the competition.
A draw will be held on 29 May 2025, at 15:00 (UTC+8) on the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[2]
The teams were seeded based on a points system derived from their final rankings across the previous three editions of the Finals. Teams that indicate their intention to serve as qualification group hosts before the draw will be placed in separate groups. Saudi Arabia automatically qualified for the final tournament as hosts.[3]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host pot |
|
|
||
| Remaining Teams |
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- Notes
- Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.
- (H): Qualification group hosts determined before the draw.
- (H)*: Qualification group hosts determined after the draw.
- (Q): Final tournament hosts, automatically qualified regardless of qualification results.
- (W): Withdrew after the draw.
| Did not enter |
|---|
Qualified teams
[edit]The following teams qualified for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
| Team | Qualified as | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
 Saudi Arabia |
Hosts | 7th | Champions (2022) |
| TBD | Group A winners | ||
| TBD | Group B winners | ||
| TBD | Group C winners | ||
| TBD | Group D winners | ||
| TBD | Group E winners | ||
| TBD | Group F winners | ||
| TBD | Group G winners | ||
| TBD | Group H winners | ||
| TBD | Group I winners | ||
| TBD | Group J winners | ||
| TBD | Group K winners | ||
| TBD | 1st best runners-up | ||
| TBD | 2nd best runners-up | ||
| TBD | 3rd best runners-up | ||
| TBD | 4th best runners-up |
See also
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025) |
References
[edit]- ^ "AFC Competitions Calendar (Jul 2025 - Jun 2026)" (PDF). AFC. 11 April 2025.
- ^ "Asian Football Calendar (March 2025 – February 2026)". AFC. February 2025.
- ^ "马德兴：U23亚洲杯分档敲定，中国队二档身份难避种子强队". Hupu.com. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
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