Vietnam achieve milestone by qualifying early for U23 Asian Cup

The second round of the 2024 U23 Asian Cup qualifiers ended on Saturday with no team having secured qualification except Vietnam. Philippe Troussier's team have six points after two matches, followed by Yemen with three.

The remaining two teams in group C, Singapore and Guam, both have one point after two games and no longer have a chance to top the group. If Vietnam lose to Singapore in the final game and Yemen win against Guam with any score, the West Asian team still will not be able to reach the top of the table, as Vietnam got the head-to-head advantage after winning 1-0 against them on Saturday.

Before Vietnam, the last time a team qualified one game early was 11 years ago, when the qualifiers consisted of seven groups with five or six teams in each.

Since the 2016 U23 Asian Cup, the format of the qualifiers changed to groups of four teams and that reduced the possibility of qualifying early.

The second round of the qualifiers did not have any big surprises, as the strong teams are on a clear path to qualification. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia only need a draw in the last fixture of group H to qualify.

Thailand and Malaysia both won two matches in group H, and they will meet in the final round on Tuesday. Thailand only need a draw to advance, while Malaysia must win, otherwise they will have to wait for the results of other groups.

The U23 Asian Cup qualifiers allow players who are born from January 1, 2001 and later, featuring 41 teams divided into 11 groups. The top 11 teams of each group and four best second-placed teams will join Qatar in the event in April 2024.

The U23 Asian Cup will take place in Qatar from April 15 to May 3 next year.