Alongside King, the two assistant referees, James Lindsay and Kearney Robinson, are also Australian. The fourth official is Qasim Al Hatmi from Oman.

The video assistant referee (VAR) team is led by Muhammad Taqi Jahari (Singapore), with assistant Sivakorn Pu-Udom (Thailand) and technical assistant Mohammed Abdulla (UAE). Additionally, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has appointed an additional reserve referee for the fourth official or assistant referee, Nasser Ambusaidi (Oman).

On Chinese news site 163, an article, which garnered approximately 500,000 views, suggested that Alexander King officiating is good news for coach Antonio Puche's team. The Australian referee is considered fair, objective, and possesses a certain understanding of Chinese football.

"He has officiated many matches in the Chinese national league or involving Chinese representatives in Asian tournaments," the article stated. "This experience allows King to assess on-field developments more accurately."

Australian referee Alexander King officiated the match where Vietnam defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final group A match of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 12/1. *Photo: AFC*

Additionally, the referee, born in 1992, frequently works in physical and power-oriented competitions. "His officiating style encourages intensity and maintains game continuity. This aligns with China's physical advantage over Vietnam. The team can leverage their advantage in free kicks and one-on-one challenges to limit Vietnam's agility," 163 added.

In the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals, referee King has only officiated one match, which was Vietnam's 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the final group A match.

Alexander King has been a FIFA referee since 2020. To date, he has officiated 196 matches in Australia's national league (A-League) and several AFC tournaments. He was named the best A-League referee for the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 seasons, and has issued a total of 758 yellow cards and 32 red cards in his career.

China ranks third in fouls committed (55) at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, while Vietnam ranks 10th (32). China also ranks second in yellow cards (10), with Vietnam ranking fifth (7).

Trung Thu (according to 163)