AFC conducts a draw for the U20 championship on May 28 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will face tough opponents at the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers following a draw conducted on May 28 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

To be staged between August 25 and September 6 in a centralised league system, these qualifiers will feature a new format as part of key reforms to the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) youth competitions that were ratified earlier this year.

Designed to ensure more meaningful matches and more opportunities for teams to compete against opponents of similar technical competence, a two-phase system featuring a promotion and relegation mechanism has been introduced.

In the qualification phase, 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four, with the group winners and the seven best second-placed teams advancing to the 43rd edition of the AFC U20 Asian Cup in China on March 24-April 10, 2027.

At the same time, the bottom team of each group will be relegated to the development phase of the subsequent edition.

For the development phase, 12 teams are divided into three groups of four, with the three group winners and the three second-placed teams of each group to be promoted to the qualification phase of the next edition.

At the AFC House's draw on May 28, 12-time champions South Korea will face hosts Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines and Lebanon while hosts Uzbekistan will face Syria, India and Bangladesh in Group B.

Jordan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan will travel to Bahrain to play in Group D. Group E will be hosted by Qatar who will play Saudi Arabia, Oman and Hong Kong-China while Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Turkmenistan will face host Thailand in Group F.

Group G is also set for exciting match-ups with Japan, Yemen, Kuwait and hosts Cambodia, while defending champions Australia headline Group H with Indonesia, Malaysia and hosts Laos as their challengers.

Group I of the Development Phase will see hosts Mongolia, Guam, Nepal and Northern Mariana Islands vying for two promotion spots while Chinese Taipei, Singapore, Macau and hosts Bhutan are the Group J sides. Hosts Myanmar, Maldives, Brunei and Sri Lanka are contestants in Group K.

Placed in Group C, Việt Nam will face Iran, North Korea and Palestine for the automatic slot to the finals. 

It will be a big challenge for Việt Nam to go through the next stage as Iran and North Korea are very strong teams with advanced youth football training systems in Asia.

Iran are the No 1 seed of the tournament. They are regular participants in many World Cup editions for juniors. The players' superior physique, fitness, and tactical awareness make the West Asian team the strongest contender for the top spot in the group.

North Korea have always been a formidable unknown quantity with its disciplined style of play and indomitable fighting spirit. The country has boasted one of the strongest youth football cultures in the world, both men’s and women’s.

The progress of Palestine should also not be underestimated, given the significant progress made by football in West Asia in recent years.

According to the Việt Nam Football Federation, this situation demands thorough preparation from coach Yutaka Ikeuchi and his team in all aspects. — VNS