Japan, as hosts, have already sealed their berth and the 15 other teams will be looking to join them in Tokyo 2020.

With the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 kicking off in just a day, the-AFC.com takes a look at Asia's Olympic journey over the years.

While each match-up between some of the best young talents in Asia is set to be well worth watching, we have highlighted five ties among the 24 group stage fixtures that are of particular interest.

While Iran are hopeful of ending a long-standing Olympic qualification drought, Uzbekistan are defending the title they won in China two years ago, with six players from the successful 2018 squad selected again this time around.

With Korea Republic and China PR also looming in one of the tournament’s most imposing groups, the Hamid Estili-led side has little margin for error, but Ghayedi is confident Team Melli Omid will produce from day one.

Despite having already begun his professional career as a 19-year-old in 2016, last year's campaign proved to be a banner year for Kim who shot to prominence on the Continental club stage as part of an exciting Daegu FC side who made headlines in their AFC Champions League debut.

Three editions of the AFC U23 Championship have come and gone and Australia, one of the heavyweights of the Continental game, are yet to better their quarter-final appearance since the inaugural tournament in Oman.

Indeed, when Olympic qualification was on the line at the 2016 tournament two years later, things got worse: they were unable to progress from the Group Stage.

At a snow-clad Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre, Nguyen Quang Hai curled home a stunning free-kick to draw Vietnam level with Uzbekistan in the final with what would later become renowned in the Southeast Asian nation as the ‘Rainbow in the Snow’.

While the young Golden Stars went on to lose the match 2-1 after a goal in the last minute of extra-time, the campaign saw both Quang Hai and a talented young Vietnamese team gain recognition across the Continent and began a two-year period in which they have achieved success after success.

Now, with the 2020 edition set to kick off in Thailand on January 6, Park Hang-seo’s team will begin the competition among the favourites to lift the title and also qualify for the Tokyo Olympics as one of the top three sides.

The East Asians have been one of the strongest teams in the competition over the years, finishing runners-up in 2016 and reaching the semi-finals in 2014 and 2018 but, despite always finishing in the top four sides, they have yet to lift the title.

Korea Republic will again begin the tournament as one of the favourites to be crowned champions and Ulsan Hyundai midfielder Lee is desperate for his country to claim a trophy that has so far eluded them.