Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The stakes were high ahead of the 2016 AFC U23 Championship in Qatar with the competition also named as the Olympics qualifying tournament and a place at the Rio de Janeiro Games on offer for the top three teams.
With 16 teams fighting it out for the right to be crowned Continental champions and book their tickets to South America it did not disappoint as fans in Doha were treated to a football extravaganza.
Fabulous goals, future household names and drama to the last, the-AFC.com looks back at one of the most memorable tournaments of recent years.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/uae_v_jordan_afc_u23.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/mohanad_abdulraheem.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/japan_u23_trophy_lift.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Adelaide: Al Hassan Toure has experienced a whirlwind 2019 from heroics in the FFA Cup to scoring in his A-League debut and being called up to the Olyroos. And the new year is set to begin as the old one left off with the forward likely to play a key role in Australia's AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 campaign.
Prior to August 7, 2019, the Guinea-born teenager had not even begun his professional career let alone been on the brink of representing Australia at one of the biggest national team tournaments in Asia. But in a dream second half of the year, Toure has gone on to make headlines across the globe.
Just 12 minutes into Adelaide United's FFA Cup campaign, in his senior debut, Toure scored. And the goals kept coming, five in total including the opener in a 4-0 win over Melbourne City in the final, earning him the Mark Viduka Medal for player of the match.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: So often the nearly men of Asian football, having narrowly missed out on a place at the FIFA World Cup on several occasions, Uzbekistan enjoyed one of their finest footballing moments at the AFC U23 Championship China 2018.
A talented young side had claimed the AFC U-16 Championship title in 2012, but that was the only Continental trophy the Central Asians had lifted since joining the Asian Football Confederation in 1994.
Two years ago in Jiangsu, Ravshan Khadarov’s team began slowly before growing into the tournament. We look back how their march to a memorable title unfolded.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: With the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 just a few weeks away, we look back at some of the finest goals the competition has seen since it kicked off in Oman in early 2014.
Featuring some of Asia's finest modern-day talent, including the 2018 AFC Player of the Year Abdelkarim Hassan, Japan's Shoya Nakajima and Vietnam's Nguyen Quang Hai, our selection offers the perfect way to whet your appetite ahead of the fourth edition of the tournament early next year.
After viewing the goals, tell us which is your favourite by casting your vote at the bottom of the article, before it ends on December 22, 14:30 hours (UTC +8).
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 is now less than three weeks away and there’s little doubt that some of Asia’s brightest stars of the future will be on display in Southeast Asia as they aim to be crowned Continental champions and book their country’s ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
The three previous editions of the tournament have featured names who have developed into key performers for club and country, earned moves to bigger leagues and become household names across Asia and beyond.
Ahead of what is sure to be another excellent U-23 competition, the-AFC.com has picked out seven players who have graced the tournament and gone on to develop into modern-day superstars of Asian football.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Manama: Bahrain defender Ahmed Bughammar has admitted that winning the Gulf Cup was the perfect preparation for next month’s AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 as the West Asian side prepare to make their debut in the competition.
Bughammar was one of several U-23 players that were part of the senior squad at the 24th Gulf Cup as Bahrain clinched their first-ever title with a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in last Sunday’s final, having also won the WAFF (West Asian Football Federation) Championship earlier in the year.
Now, after winning all three of their qualifying games earlier in 2019 to advance to a maiden AFC U23 Championship, Bahrain can look forward to one of the most important competitions on the AFC’s calendar in which qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is also on offer for the top three sides.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tokyo: Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu has set his sights on winning the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 next month as the Samurai Blue get set to embark on a historic year in which they will also play the Olympic Games on home soil.
The tournament kicks off on January 8 and will act as the qualifying campaign for the Tokyo Olympics, with the top three sides to book their tickets to the Games this summer, which will be the first to be staged in Asia since Beijing 2008.
But while Japan’s place is already secured as hosts, Moriyasu believes that the AFC U23 Championship provides the perfect platform for the future and one which could help fill his side with belief should they repeat their feat of 2016 by claiming the title.