Vietnam finish bottom of 2027 Asian U20 qualifying group and are eliminated

Vietnam’s U20 team exited the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers after finishing last in Group C with no points.

Playing at Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho on September 6, Vietnam took the lead against Iran through captain Nguyen Quoc Khanh in the 40th minute. Iran responded strongly after halftime. Arian Maali equalized in the 50th minute, Mahan Beheshti converted a penalty in the 61st, and Abolfazl Zadeh Attar scored another penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time to complete a 3-1 win.

The defeat followed losses to North Korea and Palestine. Vietnam scored two goals and conceded eight across its three matches, ending its chance of reaching the final tournament.

North Korea had already beaten Palestine 4-0 earlier on the same day. That result left North Korea top of the group with nine points and a goal difference of plus eight, securing a direct place at the 2027 finals. Iran finished second with six points and a plus-two goal difference, while Palestine placed third with three points and a minus-four goal difference.

The qualifying tournament ran from August 31 to September 6, 2026, with 31 teams divided among eight groups hosted in Vietnam, Bahrain, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Qatar, Thailand and Uzbekistan. The eight group winners and the seven best runners-up will join host China at the finals.