Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: Islamic Republic of Iran's U23 team will be travelling to Doha, Qatar for a training camp ahead of the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020.
The young Team Melli had already begun preparations in Tehran, and will depart for Doha on December 20.
Their first friendly against a Qatari club is scheduled for December 25, before challenging the Qatar U23 side three days later.
Iran will be making their return to the Continental tournament after missing out in the 2018 edition. Iran qualified for their third Championship after finishing as one of the four best second-placed teams.
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
Hanoi: Park Hang-seo has cautioned Vietnam that making the leap from ASEAN dominance to challenging Asia's best won't be easy and it is a step that can only be achieved with long term plans.
Park has steered Vietnam to several successes since being appointed head coach in 2017, with the U23 team finishing runners-up in the 2018 AFC U23 Championship and the senior side winning the regional AFF Cup the same year, achieved after a 10-year wait.
That was followed by a quarter-final appearance in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and on Tuesday, Vietnam ended a 60-year wait for the regional SEA Games gold.
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
Kuala Lumpur: The AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 is just a few weeks away as another year of football across the Continent will kick off with one of the most highly anticipated competitions, in which qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is also up for grabs.
Holders Uzbekistan will be looking to repeat their feat from China two years ago while Japan are aiming to return to the form that saw them lift the AFC U23 Championship trophy in Qatar in 2016.
But, after initially being scheduled to take place in mid-2013, the inaugural edition of one of the newest competition’s in the AFC calendar came in 2014 when – as the then AFC U-22 Championship – Iraq conquered all before them in a tournament that saw a number of Asia’s modern-day stars play key roles.
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.