Football

Việt Nam will host group C matches of the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualification from September 4-12. Photo of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is in Group C with Singapore, Yemen and Guam after the draw of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 Qualifiers held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 25.

The Asian football governing body divided 43 hopefuls in 11 groups, 10 groups of four teams each with the last one containing three.

Việt Nam will host the Group C matches, which will be held in Hà Nội from September 4 to 12.

Việt Nam is the most experienced team among its Group C opponents. The world No. 95 team has competed for four finals in a row. They finished second in 2018 and advanced to the quarter-final round in 2022.

Singapore, world No. 158, and Guam, world No. 206, have not qualified for any finals while world No. 157 Yemen's latest competition in the Asian Cup was in 2002.

A total of 16 teams -- 11 groups winners and the four best second-place teams, will qualify to play in the final tournament. They will join Qatar, who received an automatic qualification as host, to form the final 16 of the tournament, to be played between April 15 to May 3, 2024.

The tournament will act as the AFC qualifiers for the 2024 Summer Olympics men's football tournament. The top three teams of the tournament will qualify for the Paris Olympics as the Asian representatives while the fourth-best team will play an Asian-African play-off match for the qualification.

Saudi Arabia are defending champions. They beat Uzbekistan 2-0 on home ground to take the victory trophy. VNS

Draw results

Group A: Brunei, Oman, Syria and Jordan (host)

Group B: Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and South Korea (host)

Group C: Singapore, Yemen, Guam and Việt Nam (host)

Group D: Japan, Pakistan, Palestine and Bahrain (host).

Group E: Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Iran and Uzbekistan (host).

Group F: Macau, Timor Leste, Iraq and Kuwait (host).

Group G: UAE, Maldives, India and China (host)

Group H: The Philippines, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand (host)

Group I: Australia, North Korea, Laos and Tajikistan (host)

Group J: Mongolia, Lebanon, Cambodia and Saudi Arabia (host)

Group K: Chinese Taipei, Turkmenistan and Indonesia (host)