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Coach Marcelo Broli attends the press conference at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia. *Photo: AFC*

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) finished second in group B, securing their spot in the quarter-finals of the 2026 U23 Asian Cup. Their group stage performance included a 2-0 victory over Qatar, a 0-3 loss to Japan, and a 1-1 draw with Syria. Meanwhile, Vietnam advanced as the winners of group A, demonstrating strong form with a 2-0 win against Jordan, a 2-1 triumph over Kyrgyzstan, and a 1-0 defeat of host Saudi Arabia.

Historically, the UAE holds an advantage over Vietnam in their head-to-head encounters, having secured four wins and four draws in eight matches. Five of these were official fixtures: a 0-0 draw at Asiad 14 in 2002, a 3-1 victory in the round of 16 at Asiad 17 in 2014, a 3-2 win during the 2016 U23 Asian Cup group stage, a 1-1 draw (resulting in a 4-3 penalty shootout victory for the bronze medal at Asiad 18 in 2018), and a 0-0 draw in the 2020 U23 Asian Cup group stage. In their two most recent friendly matches in 2022 and 2023, the UAE also emerged victorious, with scores of 3-0 and 4-0 respectively.

This marks the fourth time both teams have reached the U23 Asian Cup quarter-finals. Vietnam has previously made it to this stage in 2018, 2022, and 2024, while the UAE qualified in 2013, 2016, and 2020. Despite their consistent quarter-final appearances, the UAE has never advanced to the semi-finals. In contrast, Vietnam has achieved greater success in the tournament, reaching the final and finishing as runner-up in 2018.

Hieu Luong