The 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup will be the fifth edition of the biennial tournament. As the name suggests it is an age-group tournament and only players who are born after January 1, 1999, can take part.
It was previously known as the AFC U-23 Championship but from this edition, it will be known as the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. The qualification round of the main event is set to start on October 23. 41 teams will be participating in the qualification round.
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22 teams from West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia, were drawn into five groups of four and there is another group which has three participants. Meanwhile, 19 teams from ASEAN and Northeast Asia were drawn into four groups of four and there is one group with three teams. However, in Group G there are currently only two participants as Brunei and China withdrew on September 3 and October 11.
Let us take a look at the groups in detail.
2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification: Group A Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Date | Fixture | Scores | Stadium |
| 25/10/2021 | Qatar vs Yemen | 3-0 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 25/10/2021 | Syria vs Sri Lanka | 5-0 | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha |
| 28/10/2021 | Sri Lanka vs Qatar | 0-5 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 28/10/2021 | Yemen vs Syria | 0-0 | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha |
| 31/10/2021 | Syria vs Qatar | 1-1 | Khalifa International Stadium, Doha |
| 31/10/2021 | Yemen vs Sri Lanka | 3-0 | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Qatar (H) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 7 |
| 2 | Syria | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 5 |
| 3 | Yemen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | -13 | 0 |
Group B: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Date | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 25/10/2021 | Iran vs Nepal | 4-0 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe |
| 25/10/2021 | Tajikistan vs Lebanon | 1-0 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe |
| 28/10/2021 | Lebanon vs Iran | 0-2 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe |
| 28/10/2021 | Nepal vs Tajikistan | 0-6 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe |
| 31/10/2021 | Lebanon vs Nepal | 4-0 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe |
| 31/10/2021 | Iran vs Tajikistan | 3-2 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Iran | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 9 |
| 2 | Tajikistan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 6 |
| 3 | Lebanon | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 3 |
| 4 | Nepal | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | -14 | 0 |
Group C: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Date | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 25/10/2021 | Iraq vs Maldives | 4-0 | Al Muharraq, Arad |
| 28/10/2021 | Maldives vs Bahrain | 0-3 | Al Muharraq, Arad |
| 31/10/2021 | Iraq vs Bahrain | 3-0 | Al Muharraq, Arad |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Iraq | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 6 |
| 2 | Bahrain (H) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Maldives | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | -7 | 0 |
Group D: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 27/10/2021 | Saudi Arabia vs Uzbekistan | 2-2 | Paxtakor Markaziy Stadion, Tashkent |
| 27/10/2021 | Bangladesh vs Kuwait | 0-1 | Stadion Majmuasi, Tashkent |
| 30/10/2021 | Uzbekistan vs Bangladesh | 6-0 | Paxtakor Markaziy Stadion, Tashkent |
| 30/10/2021 | Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia | 2-1 | Stadion Majmuasi, Tashkent |
| 02/11/2021 | Saudi Arabia vs Bangladesh | 3-0 | Stadion Majmuasi, Tashkent |
| 02/11/2021 | Kuwait vs Uzbekistan | 1-5 | Paxtakor Markaziy Stadion, Tashkent |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Kuwait | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| 3 | Bangladesh | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
Uzbekistan have already qualified for the final tournament as the host country, so their matches will not be taken into account when calculating the group ranking.
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Group E: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 24/10/2021 | UAE vs Kyrgyzstan | 1-2 | Fujairah Stadium, Fujairah |
| 24/10/2021 | Oman vs India | 1-2 | Fujairah Stadium, Fujairah |
| 27/10/2021 | Kyrgyzstan vs Oman | 0-1 | Fujairah Stadium, Fujairah |
| 27/10/2021 | India vs UAE | 0-1 | Fujairah Stadium, Fujairah |
| 30/10/2021 | UAE vs Oman | 2-0 | Fujairah Stadium, Fujairah |
| 30/10/2021 | India vs Kyrgyzstan | 0-0 (4-2 pen.) | Fujairah Stadium, Fujairah |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | UAE (H) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| 2 | India | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Oman | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
Group F: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 25/10/2021 | Turkmenistan vs Jordan | 0-1 | King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman |
| 28/10/2021 | Palestine vs Turkmenistan | 1-3 | King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman |
| 31/10/2021 | Jordan vs Palestine | 1-1 | King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Jordan (H) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| 2 | Palestine | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 3 | Turkmenistan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 1 |
Group G: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 26/10/2021 | Indonesia vs Australia | 2-3 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe |
| 29/10/2021 | Australia vs Indonesia | 1-0 | Pamir Stadium, DUshanbe |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Australia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| 2 | Indonesia | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 0 |
Group H: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 25/10/2021 | South Korea vs Philipines | 3-0 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |
| 25/10/2021 | Singapore vs Timor-Leste | 2-2 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |
| 28/10/2021 | Timor-Leste vs South Korea | 0-6 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |
| 28/10/2021 | Philippines vs Singapore | 0-1 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |
| 31/10/2021 | Timor-Leste vs Philippines | 1-0 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |
| 31/10/2021 | South Korea vs Singapore | 5-1 | Jalan Besar Stadium, Singapore |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | South Korea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | +13 | 9 |
| 2 | Singapore (H) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 4 |
| 3 | Timor-Leste | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 4 |
| 4 | Philippines | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 0 |
Group I: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 27/10/2021 | Vietnam vs Chinese Taipei | 1-0 | Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek |
| 30/10/2021 | Myanmar vs Chinese Taipei | 1-0 | Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek |
| 02/11/2021 | Vietnam vs Myanmar | 1-0 | Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Bishkek |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Vietnam | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 6 |
| 2 | Myanmar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Chinese Taipei | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
Group J: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 25/10/2021 | Thailand vs Mongolia | 1-1 | MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar |
| 25/10/2021 | Malaysia vs Laos | 1-0 | MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar |
| 28/10/2021 | Mongolia vs Malaysia | 0-1 | MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar |
| 28/10/2021 | Laos vs Thailand | 0-3 | MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar |
| 31/10/2021 | Thailand vs Malaysia | 0-0 | MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar |
| 31/10/2021 | Laos vs Mongolia | 3-2 | MFF Football Centre, Ulaanbaatar |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Malaysia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 7 |
| 2 | Thailand | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 |
| 3 | Laos | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 3 |
| 4 | Mongolia (H) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 1 |
Group K: Fixtures, Scores & Standings
Match Schedule
| Dates | Fixtures | Scores | Stadium |
| 23/10/2021 | Cambodia vs Hong Kong | 4-2 | J-Village Stadium, Hirono |
| 26/10/2021 | Japan vs Cambodia | 4-0 | J-Village Stadium, Hirono |
| 28/10/2021 | Hong Kong vs Japan | 0-4 | J-Village Stadium, Hirono |
Standings
| Ranking | Team | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Japan (H) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 6 |
| 2 | Cambodia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 3 |
| 3 | Hong Kong (H) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 0 |
Ranking of second-placed teams
Top four teams to qualify
| Position | Group | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | J | Thailand (Q) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
| 2 | D | Saudi Arabia (Q) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 3 |
| 3 | F | Turkmenistan (Q) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| 4 | B | Tajikistan (Q) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 | C | Bahrain | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | I | Myanmar | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | K | Cambodia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 3 |
| 8 | A | Syria | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | E | India | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 10 | D | Singapore | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 1 |
Top Scorers
| Name | Country | Goals |
| Park Jeong-in | South Korea | 5 |
| Yasin Salmani | Iran | 4 |
| Hashim Ali | Qatar | 4 |
| Ulugbek Khoshimov | Uzbekistan | 3 |
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