AFC Announces New Seeding Rules for 2026 U-23 Asian Cup: Indonesia in Pot 2

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has introduced a new seeding system for the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers, which now considers the cumulative points from the last three editions of the tournament, rather than just the most recent one. This change significantly affects Southeast Asian teams, with those showing consistent performances in recent years receiving higher rankings. Vietnam and Thailand are placed in Pot 1, thanks to their strong showings in the past three editions, while Indonesia finds itself in Pot 2 due to its impressive run in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup.

Under the new system, Vietnam leads the ASEAN teams with 13 points, achieved through reaching the quarter-finals twice and making it to the semi-finals once. Thailand follows with 9 points from one quarter-final appearance and two group-stage finishes. Indonesia, having qualified for the 2024 tournament, earned 7 points from reaching the semi-finals, placing them in Pot 2, ahead of Malaysia, which has not earned any points from its two participations in 2022 and 2024.

For the other Southeast Asian nations that have not qualified in the past three editions, their seeding will be determined based on their performance in the upcoming qualifiers. The AFC will conduct the qualification group draw on May 29, 2025, with the matches scheduled between September 1 and 9, 2025. The updated seeding rules are expected to encourage national football federations to invest in long-term development for their U-23 teams, rather than focusing on just one tournament cycle.