AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 to be played from January 6 to 14 in Saudi Arabia
India narrowly missed out on qualification for continental showpiece
16 teams divided into four groups, followed by quarters, semis and final
The AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 kicked off on Tuesday (January 6), with Vietnam blanking Jordan 2-0 at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in a Group A clash. The second game of the evening features the other two teams in the group, hosts Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, locking horns.
Some of Asia’s best talents are aiming to prove that they can make the next step in their careers at the seventh edition of the tournament, which runs until January 24. India, however, are not among the teams in action, having missed out heartbreakingly in the qualifiers.
The 16-team line-up was finalised after 15 sides progressed via the qualifiers in September to join first-time hosts Saudi Arabia, who automatically qualified. All five former champions — Iraq, Japan, Korea Republic, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan — are featuring and along with Australia and Jordan, are the only seven teams to be involved at every edition.
The Kyrgyz Republic and Lebanon are set to make their debuts in the tournament proper. Japan are the defending champions, having beaten Uzbekistan in the 2024 final.
AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026: Venues
The competition will be played in four stadiums across two cities: Jeddah and Riyadh. The venues are Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium (Riyadh), Al Shabab Stadium (Riyadh), King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium (Jeddah) and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium (Jeddah).
AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026: Format
The 16 teams have been divided into four groups, with the usual round-robin format of games between them from January 6 to 14. The winners as well as runners-up from each of the groups will advance to the knockout stage. The quarter-finals will be played on January 16 and 17, and the semi-finals on January 20. The final and third-place playoff will both be held on January 24.
You can find the full schedule and fixtures HERE.
AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026: Groups
You can find the squads of all 16 teams HERE.
AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026: Live Streaming Info
The AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 will be live streamed on the FanCode app and website in India. It will not be telecast on any TV channel in the country. Click HERE for the broadcast details of other nations and regions.
