Group D: Know Your Teams

VIETNAM
Qualification method: Group K winners
2018 performance: Runners-up
Best finish: Runners-up (2018)

After leading the first team to the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup in UAE 12 months ago, head coach Park Hang-seo will face familiar foes in Jordan, whom his senior “Golden Dragons” defeated in the Round of 16 last year.

Having lost the final to Uzbekistan in 2018, Vietnam will be bullish about their chances of going the extra step to be crowned Continental champions Thailand 2020.

Talisman Nguyen Quang Hai will be central to Vietnam’s chances, and with six more players in the squad having been part of either the 2019 AFC Asian Cup team or the 2018 AFF Cup winning side or both, there is enough winning mentality in this Vietnam side to weather the absence of names such as Doan Van Hau and Tran Dinh Trong.

DPR KOREA

Qualification method: Group G winners
2018 performance: Group stage
Best finish: Quarter-finals (2016)

Of the 16 teams present in Thailand 2020, only Uzbekistan (three) have scored less goals than DPR Korea’s four goals in the qualifiers campaign, but a solid defence that conceded just one goal en route to the finals meant DPR Korea were able to navigate a group that included Singapore, Hong Kong and Mongolia without a defeat, collecting seven points in the process.

This tournament marks the fourth time DPR Korea have reached the Finals, making them one of 10 teams which have appeared in every edition of the competition since its inauguration in 2013.

In their three previous attempts, DPR Korea have only advanced past the group stage on one occasion, back in 2016 when they scrapped through despite only mustering two points, with goal difference seeing them to edge out Saudi Arabia and Thailand. A quarter-final exit at the hands of Qatar followed, while 2018 saw a group stage exit despite a better points-tally.

JORDAN

Qualification method: Group E winners
2018 performance: Group stage
Best finish: Third place (2013)

An unbeaten campaign in Kuwait saw Jordan confirm their status as ever-present at the U23 finals, edging Syria, Kuwait and Kyrgyz Republic to book their place in Thailand 2020.

A so-called “golden generation” know that a repeat of their third-place finish in Oman six years ago will send them to Tokyo 2020, and hopes are high under the guidance of coach Ahmed Abdulqadir. The veteran local boss has a proud history of success, having led Jordan to the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

On the pitch, Jordan rely on the talents of APOEL star Omar Hani, while his teammate at the Cypriot side Musa Al Tamaari will join the squad for the final group game and will hope to get the chance to make an impact in the knock-out stages.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Qualification method: Group D winners
2018 performance: Did not qualify
Best finish: Quarter-finals (2013, 2016)

Perhaps the UAE’s proudest footballing moment this side of the millennium has come at the U23 level when a side led by the likes of Omar Abdulrahman and Ahmed Khalil competed at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020 offers an opportunity for a new generation of Emirati players to emulate them as they look to better their 2013 and 2016 performances when they reached the tournament’s quarter-finals.

The last few months brought several members of the Whites’ U23 side a level of experience few of their peers in Thailand 2020 have had. Khalifa Al Hammadi, Ali Saleh and Jassim Yaqoob have all been key members of the UAE’s senior team during the first part of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, while the likes of Mohammed Al Attas and Abdullah Ramadan have also featured heavily.

Add to that core players with significant AFC Champions League experience such as Al Wahda goalkeeper Mohammed Al Shamsi and Polish coach Maciej Skorza will fancy his chances to go far with one of the tournament’s most experienced sides at his disposal.