AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Updated: 12/11/2025, 2:11:24 PM Wikipedia source
The AFC U-23 Asian Cup, previously the AFC U-22 Championship and AFC U-23 Championship, is a biennial international football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 national teams of Asia. Each edition of the tournament that is in a year divisible by four is linked to the qualification process for the Olympic Games, whereby the top three teams in the tournament qualify directly and the fourth-placed team may enter an intercontinental play-off match depending on the slot allocations. The first edition was initially set to be held in 2013 and its qualification matches in 2024 , but the finals tournament was postponed to be played in January 2014 due to the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup. In 2016 the tournament was also renamed from the "AFC U-22 Championship" to the "AFC U-23 Championship". The tournament was rebranded as the "AFC U-23 Asian Cup" in 2021. In July 2023, the AFC announced that each non-Olympic edition of the tournament would be hosted by the same association hosting the next AFC Asian Cup. However, on 24 May 2024, AFC announced that the tournament will be held quadrennially from 2028, effectively discontinued the non-Olympic qualifiers’ editions from 2030.
Infobox
Tables
| Edition | Year | Hosts | Final | Third place match | ||||||
| Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | |||||
| 1 | 2013 | Oman | Iraq | 1–0 | Saudi Arabia | Jordan | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) | South Korea | ||
| 2 | 2016 | Qatar | Japan | 3–2 | South Korea | Iraq | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Qatar | ||
| 3 | 2018 | China | Uzbekistan | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Vietnam | Qatar | 1–0 | South Korea | ||
| 4 | 2020 | Thailand | South Korea | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Saudi Arabia | Australia | 1–0 | Uzbekistan | ||
| 5 | 2022 | Uzbekistan | Saudi Arabia | 2–0 | Uzbekistan | Japan | 3–0 | Australia | ||
| 6 | 2024 | Qatar | Japan | 1–0 | Uzbekistan | Iraq | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Indonesia | ||
| 7 | 2026 | Saudi Arabia | Future tournament | |||||||
| 8 | 2028 | N/A | Future tournament | |||||||
| Team | Title(s) | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | Total |
| Japan | 2 (2016, 2024) | – | 1 (2022) | – | 3 |
| Uzbekistan | 1 (2018) | 2 (2022, 2024) | – | 1 (2020) | 4 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 (2022) | 2 (2013, 2020) | – | – | 3 |
| South Korea | 1 (2020) | 1 (2016) | – | 2 (2013, 2018) | 4 |
| Iraq | 1 (2013) | – | 2 (2016, 2024) | – | 3 |
| Vietnam | – | 1 (2018) | – | – | 1 |
| Qatar | – | – | 1 (2018) | 1 (2016) | 2 |
| Australia | – | – | 1 (2020) | 1 (2022) | 2 |
| Jordan | – | – | 1 (2013) | – | 1 |
| Indonesia | – | – | – | 1 (2024) | 1 |
| Rank | Team | Part | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Point(s) |
| 1 | South Korea | 6 | 32 | 21 | 6 | 5 | 52 | 28 | +24 | 69 |
| 2 | Japan | 6 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 6 | 52 | 25 | +27 | 61 |
| 3 | Iraq | 6 | 29 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 49 | 30 | +19 | 60 |
| 4 | Uzbekistan | 6 | 30 | 17 | 4 | 9 | 56 | 24 | +32 | 55 |
| 5 | Saudi Arabia | 6 | 28 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 51 |
| 6 | Qatar | 5 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 40 |
| 7 | Australia | 6 | 25 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 36 |
| 8 | Jordan | 6 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 28 |
| 9 | United Arab Emirates | 5 | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 22 | −7 | 20 |
| 10 | Vietnam | 5 | 20 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 22 | 29 | −7 | 19 |
| 11 | Iran | 4 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 16 |
| 12 | Syria | 4 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 18 | −4 | 16 |
| 13 | North Korea | 4 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 13 |
| 14 | Thailand | 5 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 27 | −9 | 13 |
| 15 | Indonesia | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 7 |
| 16 | China | 5 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 12 | 25 | −13 | 6 |
| 17 | Palestine | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 4 |
| 18 | Turkmenistan | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 |
| 19 | Kuwait | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 19 | −14 | 4 |
| 20 | Malaysia | 3 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 22 | −16 | 4 |
| 21 | Oman | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 3 |
| 22 | Tajikistan | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 3 |
| 23 | Bahrain | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 2 |
| 24 | Myanmar | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 |
| 25 | Yemen | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 15 | −13 | 0 |
| Regional federation | Champion(s) | Title(s) |
| EAFF (East Asia) | Japan (2) South Korea (1) | 3 |
| WAFF (West Asia) | Iraq (1) Saudi Arabia (1) | 2 |
| CAFA (Central Asia) | Uzbekistan (1) | 1 |
| AFF (Southeast Asia) | – | 0 |
| SAFF (South Asia) | – | 0 |
| Teams | 2013 | 2016 | 2018 | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 | 2026 | Total |
| Australia | QF | GS | GS | 3rd | 4th | GS | Q | 7 |
| Bahrain | • | • | • | GS | • | • | • | 1 |
| China | GS | GS | GS | GS | × | GS | Q | 6 |
| Indonesia | • | • | • | • | • | 4th | • | 1 |
| Iran | GS | QF | • | GS | GS | • | Q | 5 |
| Iraq | 1st | 3rd | QF | GS | QF | 3rd | Q | 7 |
| Japan | QF | 1st | QF | GS | 3rd | 1st | Q | 7 |
| Jordan | 3rd | QF | GS | QF | GS | GS | Q | 7 |
| Kuwait | GS | • | × | • | GS | GS | • | 3 |
| Kyrgyzstan | • | • | • | • | • | • | Q | 1 |
| Lebanon | • | • | • | • | • | • | Q | 1 |
| Malaysia | • | • | QF | • | GS | GS | • | 3 |
| Myanmar | GS | • | • | • | • | • | • | 1 |
| North Korea | GS | QF | GS | GS | × | × | × | 4 |
| Oman | GS | • | GS | • | • | • | • | 2 |
| Palestine | • | • | QF | • | • | • | • | 1 |
| Qatar | • | 4th | 3rd | GS | GS | QF | Q | 6 |
| Saudi Arabia | 2nd | GS | GS | 2nd | 1st | QF | Q | 7 |
| South Korea | 4th | 2nd | 4th | 1st | QF | QF | Q | 7 |
| Syria | QF | GS | GS | QF | • | • | Q | 5 |
| Tajikistan | • | • | • | • | GS | GS | • | 2 |
| Thailand | • | GS | GS | QF | GS | GS | Q | 6 |
| Turkmenistan | • | • | • | • | QF | • | • | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | QF | QF | • | QF | GS | GS | Q | 6 |
| Uzbekistan | GS | GS | 1st | 4th | 2nd | 2nd | Q | 7 |
| Vietnam | • | GS | 2nd | GS | QF | QF | Q | 6 |
| Yemen | GS | GS | × | • | • | • | • | 2 |
| Total | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Nation | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | 2028 | 2032 | Years |
| Australia | – | 12 | – | Q | 2 | |
| Iraq | 12 | – | 10 | 2 | ||
| Japan | 10 | 4 | 5 | 3 | ||
| Saudi Arabia | – | 15 | – | 1 | ||
| South Korea | 5 | 5 | – | 2 | ||
| Uzbekistan | – | – | 13 | 1 |
| Tournament | Most Valuable Player | Top goalscorer(s) | Goals | Best goalkeeper | Fair play award |
| 2013 | Amjad Kalaf | Kaveh Rezaei | 5 | Not awarded | South Korea |
| 2016 | Shoya Nakajima | Ahmed Alaa | 6 | Japan | |
| 2018 | Odiljon Hamrobekov | Almoez Ali | Vietnam | ||
| 2020 | Won Du-jae | Jaroensak Wonggorn | 3 | Song Bum-keun | Saudi Arabia |
| 2022 | Ayman Yahya | Cho Young-wook | Nawaf Al-Aqidi | ||
| 2024 | Joel Chima Fujita | Ali Jasim | 4 | Abduvohid Nematov | Uzbekistan |
| 2026 |
| Year | Team | Coach |
| 2013 | Iraq | Hakeem Shaker |
| 2016 | Japan | Makoto Teguramori |
| 2018 | Uzbekistan | Ravshan Khaydarov |
| 2020 | South Korea | Kim Hak-bum |
| 2022 | Saudi Arabia | Saad Al-Shehri |
| 2024 | Japan | Go Oiwa |
| 2026 |
| 2013 (16) | 2016 (16) | 2018 (16) | 2020 (16) | 2022 (16) | 2024 (16) | 2026 (16) | Total | |
| Teams | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 21 | |
| Top 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | |
| Top 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Top 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1st | 0 | |||||||
| 2nd | | 1 | ||||||
| 3rd | | 1 | ||||||
| 4th | | | 2 |
| 2013 (16) | 2016 (16) | 2018 (16) | 2020 (16) | 2022 (16) | 2024 (16) | 2026 (16) | Total | |
| Teams | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 13 | |
| Top 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| Top 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Top 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1st | | 1 | ||||||
| 2nd | | | 2 | |||||
| 3rd | 0 | |||||||
| 4th | | 1 |
| 2013 (16) | 2016 (16) | 2018 (16) | 2020 (16) | 2022 (16) | 2024 (16) | 2026 (16) | Total | |
| Teams | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 21 | |
| Top 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |
| Top 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Top 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1st | | | | 3 | ||||
| 2nd | | 1 | ||||||
| 3rd | | 1 | ||||||
| 4th | | | 2 |
| 2013 (16) | 2016 (16) | 2018 (16) | 2020 (16) | 2022 (16) | 2024 (16) | 2026 (16) | Total | |
| Teams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Top 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Top 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Top 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1st | 0 | |||||||
| 2nd | 0 | |||||||
| 3rd | 0 | |||||||
| 4th | 0 |
| 2013 (16) | 2016 (16) | 2018 (16) | 2020 (16) | 2022 (16) | 2024 (16) | 2026 (16) | Total | |
| Teams | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 41 | |
| Top 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 21 | |
| Top 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| Top 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 1st | | | 2 | |||||
| 2nd | | | 2 | |||||
| 3rd | | | | | 4 | |||
| 4th | | 1 |
References
- The-AFC.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20120918014325/http://www.the-afc.com/en/news/35851-call-to-improve-afc-competitions
- "Fifteen sides storm to U-22 finals"https://archive.today/20130203171944/http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/afc-u22-championship/39647-U-22-Championship-qualifiers-conclude
- The-AFC.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20120802224922/http://www.the-afc.com/en/news/38458-afc-competitions-committee-takes-key-decisions
- "AFC Competitions Committee meeting"http://www.the-afc.com/standing-committee/afc-competitions-committee-meeting
- "AFC rebrands age group championships to AFC Asian Cups"https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/afc-beach-soccer-championship/latest/news/afc-rebrands-age-group-championships-to-afc-asian-cups
- "AFC Competitions Committee approves key decisions on reformatted competitions"https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/afc_competitions/news/afc_competitions_committee_approves_key_decisions_on_reformatted_competitions_1.html
- "Pivotal reforms approved by AFC Competitions Committee"https://www.the-afc.com/en/about_afc/cfed/news/pivotal_reforms_approved_by_afc_competitions_committee.html
- The-AFC.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20120802203121/http://www.the-afc.com/en/news-centre/inside-afc/676-afc-news/35931-afc-announces-key-competition-decisions