Chinese media surprised home team rank far behind Vietnam despite finishing 2nd at U23 Asian Cup

At the 2026 U23 Asian Cup, China made history by reaching the final for the first time and finishing as runner-up after losing to Japan. This journey filled football fans in the country with high expectations, believing that the young generation can qualify for the 2028 Olympics. After many years of ups and downs, this achievement was seen as a major boost for the country's football scene.

However, Chinese media quickly brought that excitement back to reality.

Baidu pointed out that despite having defeated Vietnam 3-0 in the tournament's semifinals, their ranking in the U23 Asian Cup history remained lower than the opponent. At 14th, China are five places below Vietnam.

China (white jersey) play Vietnam in the U23 Asian Cup semifinal on Jan. 20, 2026. Photo by AFC

If both teams participate in the 2028 U23 Asian Cup, which also serves as the Olympic qualifiers, the advantage would shift to Vietnam. According to the seeding system, Vietnam are likely to be placed in the highest seeded group, while China are more likely to be in the third group. This means they risk being drawn into a difficult group stage.

According to Baidu, consistency is key to Vietnam's high point total. They reached the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2024, before breaking through with a bronze medal in 2026. This consistent run of results across the recent three tournaments has provided enough points for the team to break into the top-seeded group in the continent.

China has made things difficult for themselves due to previous setbacks. In 2022, they withdrew and earned no points. In 2024, the team only drew one and lost two matches in the group stage, exiting early with just one point. As a result, although the runner-up position in 2026 is valuable, it cannot fully compensate for the previous failures.

According to the Asian Football Confederation's regulations, seeding is based on the results of the three most recent tournaments with coefficients of 100%, 50% and 25%. Therefore, the overall ranking determines the seeding.

According to the numbers, Vietnam could be in the top-seeded group with Japan, Uzbekistan and South Korea, while China would be placed in a lower group with UAE, Thailand or Jordan, a difference significant enough to affect their journey to the Olympics.