At dawn on September 19, 2023, the 41st U20 Asian Cup qualifying tournament in Uzbekistan is in full swing, with all nine groups except Group H having come to a close. Hosts Uzbekistan and fourteen teams including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Indonesia, Oman, Tajikistan, Iran, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, China and Syria, who have successfully advanced to the qualifying round, have advanced to the final stage. The suspense will be revealed on October 18 when the final two final round places will be decided by a showdown between the top of Group H and either second in Group H or second in Group G, Thailand.
A total of 44 teams from the 47 member associations of the AFC are participating in the qualifiers for the 41st U20 Asia Cup Uzbekistan 2023, with North Korea and China's Macao not registering for the tournament and the Pakistan Football Association (PFA) absent due to a FIFA World Cup ban. The tournament is divided into ten groups, with the top two teams from each group and the second place of the five best-performing groups advancing to the main round.
In addition to Group H, the other nine groups to top the line are: Group A: Saudi Arabia (three wins), Group B: Qatar (four wins), Group C: Japan (four wins), Group D: Jordan (four wins and a draw), Group E: South Korea (three wins), Group F: Indonesia (three wins), Group G: Oman (three wins and a loss), Group I: Tajikistan (three wins and a draw), Group J: Iran (won all three matches).
China's 2003 age group National Youth Football Team, led by Shao Jiayi and coached by Spaniard Antonio, was grouped with Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Maldives and Uzbekistan in the Group A qualifiers. Among them, Saudi Arabia was the host of the Group A qualifiers and Uzbekistan was the host of the final stage. Uzbekistan, as the hosts of the final stage, were the first to earn a ticket to the final stage, and participation in the qualifiers did not count.
In Group A matches, China U19 National Youth Football Team defeated Myanmar 3-1, beat Maldives 5-0, lost to Uzbekistan 1-2 (without counting the results), and lost to Saudi Arabia 0-1, and ranked second in Group A with six points from two wins and one loss in three matches. When comparing the results of the second-placed teams in each group, the second-placed teams of five teams do not count the results of the competition with the fifth-placed team in the same group.
The useful points and goal difference ratios for the second place finishers in the nine groups that have finished are: Group A: China (6 points, 8-2), Group B: Bahrain (4 points, 2-3), Group C: Yemen (4 points, 4-4), Group D: Syria (6 points, 6-3), Group E: Mongolia (4 points, 7-8), Group F: Vietnam (6 points, 11-4), Group G: Thailand (6 points, 6-3), Group I: Lebanon (6 points, 7-5), Group J: Kyrgyzstan (6 points, 8-1). points, 7-5), Group J: Kyrgyzstan (6 points, 8-1). By accounting (see chart), Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, China and Syria secured the top four spots in the second of nine groups to get the right to qualify.
It is worth noting that Syria and Thailand have identical records, with the same six useful points and the same goal difference of 6-3. Syria was lucky to get out of the tournament early because of one fewer yellow card, while Thailand's exit from the tournament will depend on the results of the second group of H. The four worst group results, Lebanon, Yemen, Mongolia, and Bahrain, were eliminated. The worst four groups, Lebanon, Yemen, Mongolia and Bahrain, were eliminated.
Hosts Uzbekistan and fourteen teams - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Indonesia, Oman, Tajikistan, Iran, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, China and Syria - have qualified for the final stage of the competition, with the last two places in the final round coming down to the top spot in Group H and either second place in Group H or second place in Group G. Thailand will play in Group H, which will take place from October 14-18, at the Jaber al-Ahmad World Stadium in Kuwait City. The four teams in this group are Australia, Iraq, India and Kuwait, and the venue is the Jaber al-Ahmad World Stadium in Kuwait City.
The 41st U20 Asian Cup will be held in Uzbekistan from March 1-18, 2023, and the tournament will determine the four best teams to join hands with Indonesia to represent Asia in the 23rd U20 World Cup 2023 in Indonesia.
