Vietnam drawn with Japan in AFC U19 Championship qualifiers

By Hoang Nguyen May 12, 2019 | 07:00 pm PT

The U18 team of Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/The Anh

Japan will be Vietnam’s strongest opponents in the upcoming qualifiers for next year’s AFC U19 Championship finals.

In the draw held in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, Vietnam found themselves in group J, which they will host from November 2 to 10, along with Japan, Mongolia and Guam.

There are 46 teams in the qualifiers divided into two zones, East and West, and 11 groups. A and G will have five teams each.

The group winners will get direct qualification to the championship along with the four best second-placed teams.

The groups of AFC U19 qualifiers. Photo courtesy of AFC

The tournament schedule will be announced soon.

The majority of players in the Vietnamese squad will be from the U18 team, which finished second at an international tournament in Hong Kong in April.

In March Vietnam qualified for the 2020 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) U23 Championship after winning all three games, including a 4-0 thrashing of Thailand.