The 2027 Asian U20 qualifiers apply a new format, with Vietnam and Vietnam in Group C

The 2027 Asian U20 qualifiers apply a new format for the first time, making the race for tickets to the final round more fierce for Vietnam.

* U20 Vietnam - U20 North Korea: 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 31.

The 2027 Asian U20 qualifying round takes place from August 31 to September 6. Because the Philippines withdrew, the qualifying round left 31 teams divided into 8 groups, competing in a round robin to select the 8 best teams and 7 second best teams to attend the final round, along with host China. The final round takes place in March 2027.

The teams ranked at the bottom of each qualifying group will play in the Development phase of the next tournament. This year's round consists of 12 teams divided into three groups I, J, K. Teams compete in a round robin, to select the top two teams from each group to advance to the next qualifying round.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hopes this format will create more balanced matches and reduce the number of matches with too different scores in the U20 qualifying round. Besides competing for tickets to the final round, teams must make efforts to avoid being in the group of teams with the worst performance and having to play in the next development round.

Vietnam is in Group C, with Iran, North Korea and Palestine. Considering the FIFA table, Iran leads the way when ranked 22nd. Behind are Palestine (95), Vietnam (99) and North Korea (120). Despite being ranked lowest, North Korean football has never been underestimated in terms of physical strength and discipline.

Vietnam has never met Palestine before. Meanwhile, the team lost to Iran in the group stages in 2012 (1-2) and 2023 (1-3), respectively. With North Korea, Vietnam drew 2-2 in the qualifying round and lost 0-5 in the group stage in 2012. Four years later, Nguyen Quang Hai's generation born in 1997 won 2-1 against this opponent, helping Vietnam pass the group stage for the first time, then enter the semi-finals and win tickets to the 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup.

Vietnam is one of 8 hosts of the qualifying round. Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho was chosen as the home stadium and will be open to spectators. The team faces North Korea (August 31), Palestine (September 3) and Iran (September 6), respectively, all taking place at 7:00 p.m.

Japanese coach Yutaka Ikeuchi continues to lead the team, despite failing to pass the U19 Southeast Asia 2026 group stage in June in Indonesia. He said that was a great lesson that helped the whole team see more clearly the issues that need improvement, through the two-week training trip in Japan. Currently, the team is ready for the opening match against North Korea.

"North Korea is very strong, with good physical and mental play," coach Ikeuchi said. "This match is not easy but we are ready to confront and fight hard."

Compared to the squad participating in the Southeast Asia tournament, Mr. Ikeuchi replaced 10 out of 23 positions. Midfielder Nguyen Quoc Khanh, who grew up at PVF and just joined Ninh Binh, was chosen as team captain. Prominent faces include midfielder Nguyen Le Phat, who won the SEA Games 33 gold medal with U23 Vietnam and the 2026 Asian U23 bronze medal, and midfielder Dinh Quang Kiet who just won the ASEAN Cup 2026. The attack includes Hoang Trong Duy Khang, Tran Gia Bao, and Nguyen Van Bach who have made their mark from the U17 level.

U20 Asia, formerly named U19 or youth tournament, was first held in 1959 in Malaysia. South Korea leads with 12 crowns. Following are Myanmar (7), Israel (6), Iraq (5), Iran (4), Saudi Arabia, North Korea (3), Thailand (2), Japan, China, Indonesia, Qatar, Syria Uzbekistan, UAE, India, Australia (1). Australia is currently the defending champion.

Since 1977, the tournament has also been used as a qualifying round for the U20 World Cup - Asia region. Indonesia was the first Southeast Asian country to participate in 1979, followed by Malaysia (1997), Myanmar (2015) and Vietnam (2017).

Since 2002, Vietnam has qualified for 10 out of 12 tournaments, except for 2008 and 2025. In the previous round, Vietnam hosted Group A, winning 5-0 against Bhutan, 3-0 Guam and 4-1 against Bangladesh, but a 0-1 loss to Syria in the final round caused the team to lose their ticket to the final round.

List of Vietnam U20 football team

Goalkeepers (3): Phan Dinh Bach (PVF), Tran Van Dat (SLNA), Hoa Xuan Tin (HCMC Police)

Defenders (8): Dinh Quang Kiet, Le Kha Duc (HCMC Police), Nguyen Quoc Khanh (Ninh Binh), Le Huy Viet Anh, Bui Duy Dang (PVF), Le Tan Dung (Hung Yen), Le Minh Nhat (Quang Ninh), Dinh Xuan Khai (Phu Tho)

Midfielders (6): Tran Gia Hung (Hai Phong), Dau Hong Phong (Hanoi), Nguyen Le Phat (Ninh Binh), Nguyen Van Khanh (Ha Tinh), Tran Hoang Khanh, Dao Quang Anh (PVF)

Strikers (6): Hoang Trong Duy Khang (Hai Phong), Hoang Cong Hau (The Cong), Nguyen Van Bach (PVF), Tran Gia Bao (HAGL), Nguyen Thien Phu (Hanoi), Nguyen Trong Duc Vu (Hung Yen).

2027 AFC U20 Qualifiers Group A South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon B Uzbekistan, Syria, India, Bangladesh C Iran, Vietnam, North Korea, Palestine D Jordan, Tajikistan, Bahrain, Afghanistan E Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Hong Kong F Iraq,Thailand, UAE, Turkmenistan G Japan, Yemen, Cambodia, Kuwait H Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos Development Round I Mongolia, Guam, Nepal, Northern Mariana Islands J Taiwan, Singapore, Bhutan, Macau K Myanmar, Maldives, Brunei, Sri Lanka