The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed that the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ will kick off next week, with matches scheduled to take place in the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh from January 6 to 24.
Saudi Arabia | By Sayer Zaland, ASJFNews
According to an official press release issued by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup will bring together 16 teams, including hosts Saudi Arabia, who qualified automatically.
Fifteen teams secured their places through the AFC U23 Qualifiers held in September. All five former champions—Iraq, Japan, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan—will feature at the Finals, alongside Australia and Jordan, making them the only seven nations to have participated in every edition of the tournament.
The Kyrgyz Republic and Lebanon will make their first-ever appearances at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Finals, raising the total number of teams to have competed in the tournament’s history to 27.
The tournament will open on January 6 at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, with Vietnam facing Jordan in a Group A encounter. Later that day, hosts Saudi Arabia will begin their campaign against debutants Kyrgyz Republic at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium.
Group B action will get underway on January 7, with defending champions Japan facing Syria, followed by a clash between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. On the same day in Riyadh, Korea Republic will meet Islamic Republic of Iran in Group C, before Uzbekistan take on Lebanon.
The opening matchday will conclude on January 8 with Group D fixtures, as Australia face Thailand, while Iraq begin their campaign against China PR.
All matches will be staged across venues in Jeddah and Riyadh, with kick-off times listed in GMT+3, as the AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026™ prepares to showcase the next generation of Asian football talent.