Uzbekistan U23 to face China in AFC U23 Asian Cup quarterfinals

The group stage of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, contested among national teams made up of players under the age of 23, has concluded in Saudi Arabia.

From Group A, Vietnam and Jordan advanced to the quarterfinals; from Group B, Japan and the United Arab Emirates; from Group C, Uzbekistan and South Korea; and from Group D, Australia and China.

Following the completion of the group stage, the quarterfinal pairings were confirmed as follows:

January 16

Vietnam – United Arab Emirates

Japan – Jordan

January 17

Uzbekistan – China

Australia – South Korea

Uzbekistan U23’s quarterfinal opponent, China’s youth national team, defeated Australia 1:0 in the group stage and played to goalless draws against Iraq (0:0) and Thailand (0:0).

The semifinals will be held on January 20, with the winners of the first and third quarterfinals facing each other, and the winners of the second and fourth matchups meeting in the other semifinal.

A distinctive feature of this year’s AFC U23 Asian Cup is that no Olympic qualification spots are at stake. As a result, many teams are not competing with their strongest lineups.

The AFC U23 Asian Cup has been held since 2013. Japan’s youth team has won the tournament twice, including the most recent edition. Iraq, Uzbekistan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia have each lifted the trophy once.