Riyadh: The seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 will get underway next week in Saudi Arabia, with matches taking place in the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh from 6 to 24 January. The lineup of 16 teams has been completed following the qualification of 15 teams through the qualifiers held last September, joining hosts Saudi Arabia, who qualified automatically as the tournament hosts.
The championship will feature all five previous title holders—Iraq, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan—who, along with Australia and Jordan, are the only seven teams to have appeared in all editions of the finals.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon will make their first-ever appearances in the tournament finals, bringing the total number of teams to have participated in the competition’s history to 27.
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah will host the opening match on 6 January, when Vietnam face Jordan in Group A. On the same day, Saudi Arabia, champions of the 2022 edition, will begin their quest for a second title at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium against Kyrgyzstan.
Group B action will begin on 7 January, with defending champions Japan taking on Syria, followed later that day by Qatar’s opening match against the United Arab Emirates. Both teams are making their sixth appearance in the finals.
Qatar will be aiming to surpass their previous best achievement of finishing third in 2018, while the UAE’s best performances came with quarterfinal appearances in 2013, 2016, and 2020.
Group C matches will also get underway on 7 January, with the Republic of Korea facing Iran, followed by Uzbekistan’s clash with Lebanon.
The opening round will conclude on 8 January with two Group D matches, as Australia take on Thailand in the first game, followed by Iraq’s encounter with China in the second.
