Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bangkok: As host nation Thailand prepare to lock horns with Iraq, Australia and Bahrain at January’s AFC U23 Championship, there appears little to choose between Group A’s quartet of title contenders.
Ahead of Wednesday’s opening matches, when Iraq face Australia and Thailand take on Bahrain, join the-AFC.com as we begin our detailed look at the teams vying for Continental glory across four venues in Thailand.
The top two sides in Group A will qualify for the quarter-finals, while the tournament’s top three finishers will earn places at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/iraq23.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/australiau23.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: A foursome of fearsome forwards are the main men to watch out for in Group A of the AFC U23 Championship 2020 containing hosts Thailand, inaugural winners Iraq, Australia and Bahrain.
The quartet will go into the campaign on the back of a strong 2019 and, in what is likely to be a closely contested group, their countries' hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds of the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 could rest upon their form in front of goal in Southeast Asia.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Bangkok: Akira Nishino knows what it takes to deliver when the pressure is on, but as he prepares to lead hosts Thailand into the AFC U23 Championship 2020, the former Japan head coach is under no illusions over the size of the task facing him and his players.
The 64-year-old has one of the most illustrious resumes in Asian football, having broken his home nation’s Olympic qualification drought in 1996, won the AFC Champions League with Gamba Osaka in 2008 and led the Samurai Blue to the knockout rounds at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Now, six months after being appointed head coach of Thailand’s U23 and senior national sides, Nishino enters the Finals of his first continental competition leading his new charges knowing the odds are stacked against him.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sydney: Australia announced their squad for the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 on Monday, with head coach Graham Arnold targeting the title.
Australia’s U23 men’s national team for next month’s tournament will feature 14 players representing 8 A-League clubs, with nine members of Graham Arnold’s squad set to arrive in Southeast Asia from overseas-based teams.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The latest graduate from the vaunted Aspire Academy, the J.League's best young player and two West Asian starlets, Group B of the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 boasts a quartet of talented tyros worth looking out for.
A group that involves four of Asia's biggest sides in Qatar, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Syria is set up to be one of the most intriguing, with some of the Continent's best next generation on display.
We have selected a player from each side who could be the stand-out.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The young White Wolf, a solid pair of hands, and two players with European experience looking to finally fulfill their potential, are the ones to keep an eye on in Group C of the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020.
Songkhla is set to feature a feast of football with five of Group C's six fixtures taking place in southern Thailand. Taking to the field at Tinsulanon Stadium will be defending champions Uzbekistan, perennial contenders Korea Republic, China PR and Islamic Republic of Iran.
We have picked out four players capable of shining in Songkhla.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: A forward who's shining for the Golden Stars, an Emirati and Korean full of promise and a goalkeeper poised to one day take over from the legendary Amer Shafi, Group D will have bags of potential on display at the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020.
While Vietnam will start the campaign as favourites, there's plenty to suggest talented Jordan, United Arab Emirates and DPR Korea sides can challenge the Southeast Asians in what looks an intriguing group.
As the four sides chase two knockout round qualification spots, here's the-AFC.com's pick of the players to look out for.