Korea Republic and Vietnam completed the field of Asian teams qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026™ following the group stage finales of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
It will be a day that long lives in Vietnamese football lore, as the Golden Star Warriors secured a historic first U-17 World Cup qualification thanks to a pulsating 3-2 victory against United Arab Emirates.
The UAE were in dreamland after Sultan Nasir Al Mheiri scored in the opening minutes, but Vietnam would respond through Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc and Nguyen Van Duong to take a 2-1 lead. UAE had a reply of their own courtesy of Adam Mahrous, but the night belonged to Vietnam, as Nguyen Manh Cuong powered home a second-half header to deliver a triumph that earned the southeast Asia side a first-place finish in Group C.
Meanwhile, Korea Republic progressed to their fourth consecutive U-17 World Cup and ninth overall after battling to a goalless draw against Yemen, giving the Taegeuk Warriors a second-place finish in Group C.
Yemen came close to finding a late winner, but Jang Junyeong was unshakable in the Korea Republic net and secured the clean sheet.
Korea Republic and Vietnam join fellow Asian countries Australia, China PR, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan at the finals, with the final draw set to take place at the FIFA Headquarters in Zurich on 21 May. The tournament runs from 19 November to 13 December.
