2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualification
The 2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualification was an international men's under-23 football competition which decide the participating teams of the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Qatar (Group A) Bahrain (Group B) Iran (Group C) Saudi Arabia (Group D) Kuwait (Group E) Uzbekistan (Group F) Mongolia (Group G) Cambodia (Group H) Myanmar (Group I) Malaysia (Group J) Vietnam (Group K)  | 
| Dates | 22–26 March 2019[1] | 
| Teams | 43 (from 1 confederation) | 
| Venue(s) | 13 (in 11 host cities) | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 63 | 
| Goals scored | 240 (3.81 per match) | 
| Attendance | 194,470 (3,087 per match) | 
| Top scorer(s) | |
A total of 16 teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Thailand who qualified automatically as hosts country.[2] These matches also served as the first stage of the AFC qualifiers for the 2020 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Japan.
Draw
    
Of the 47 AFC member associations, a total of 44 teams entered the competition. The final tournament hosts Thailand decided to participate in qualification despite having automatically qualified for the final tournament.
The draw was held on 7 November 2018, 15:00 MYT (UTC+8), at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[3][4] The 44 teams were drawn into eleven groups of four teams. For the draw, teams were divided into two zones:
- West Zone: 24 teams from West Asia, Central Asia and South Asia, to be drawn into six groups of four teams (Groups A–F).
 - East Zone: 20 teams from ASEAN and East Asia, to be drawn into five groups of four teams (Groups G–K).
 
The teams were seeded according to their performance in the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship final tournament and qualification (overall ranking shown in parentheses; NR stands for non-ranked teams). The following restrictions were also applied:[5]
- The eleven teams which indicated their intention to serve as qualification group hosts prior to the draw were drawn into separate groups.
 
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Zone | 
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| East Zone | 
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- Notes
 
- Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.
 - (H): Qualification group hosts
 - (N): Not a member of the International Olympic Committee, ineligible for Olympics
 - (Q): Final tournament hosts, automatically qualified regardless of qualification results
 - (W): Withdrew after draw
 
| West Zone | |
|---|---|
| East Zone | 
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Player eligibility
    
Players born on or after 1 January 1997 are eligible to compete in the tournament.[6]
Format
    
In each group, teams play each other once at a centralized venue. The eleven group winners and the four best runners-up qualify for the final tournament. If the final tournament hosts Thailand win their group or are among the four best runners-up, the fifth best runner-up also qualifies for the final tournament.
Tiebreakers
    
Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 9.3).[6]
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
 - Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
 - Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
 - If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
 - Goal difference in all group matches;
 - Goals scored in all group matches;
 - Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
 - Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
 - Drawing of lots.
 
Groups
    
The matches were played between 22 and 26 March 2019.
| Matchday | Dates | Matches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groups A–E, G–J | Group F | ||
| Matchday 1 | 22 March 2019 | 1 v 4, 2 v 3 | 3 v 1 | 
| Matchday 2 | 24 March 2019 | 4 v 2, 3 v 1 | 2 v 3 | 
| Matchday 3 | 26 March 2019 | 1 v 2, 3 v 4 | 1 v 2 | 
Group A
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 7 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 | 
| Qatar  | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Afghanistan  | 1–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Nepal    | 0–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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Group B
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 9 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | −20 | 0 | 
| Bahrain  | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
| Bangladesh  | 0–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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Group C
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 7 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 1 | 
| Iran  | 3–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Turkmenistan  | 0–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Turkmenistan  | 0–0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
Group D
    
- All matches were held in Saudi Arabia.
 - Times listed are UTC+3.
 
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | −15 | 0 | 
| United Arab Emirates  | 6–1 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Saudi Arabia  | 6–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Maldives  | 0–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Lebanon  | 0–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Saudi Arabia  | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
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Group E
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 | 
| Syria  | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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Report | 
| Kyrgyzstan  | 0–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Kyrgyzstan  | 2–3 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
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Group F
    
- All matches were held in Uzbekistan.
 - Times listed are UTC+5.
 
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 4 | ||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew[7] | 
| India  | 0–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Tajikistan  | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
Group G
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | 
| Hong Kong  | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
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| North Korea  | 1–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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Report | 
| Singapore  | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Mongolia  | 0–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| North Korea  | 2–0 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
| Singapore  | 3–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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Group H
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 7 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 15 | −14 | 1 | 
| South Korea  | 8–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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| Chinese Taipei  | 0–6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Cambodia  | 1–6 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
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| South Korea  | 2–2 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
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| Cambodia  | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
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Group I
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | +21 | 9 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 7 | +4 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 16 | −11 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 0 | 
| Myanmar  | 7–0 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
| Timor-Leste  | 0–6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
| Macau  | 0–4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Timor-Leste  | 5–3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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Group J
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 7 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 0 | 
| China PR  | 5–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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Report | 
| Philippines  | 0–8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Laos  | 3–2 | |
|---|---|---|
  | 
Report | 
| Malaysia  | 2–2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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Group K
    
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | +11 | 9 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 6 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 0 | 
- Thailand, as final tournament hosts, automatically qualified regardless of qualification results.
 
| Vietnam  | 6–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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Report | 
| Indonesia  | 0–1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 
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| Vietnam  | 4–0 | |
|---|---|---|
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Report | 
Ranking of second-placed teams
    
Due to groups having different number of teams (after the withdrawal of Pakistan from Group F), the results against the fourth-placed teams in four-team groups were not considered for this ranking.
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 4 | Final tournament | |
| 2 | C | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | ||
| 2 | E | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | ||
| 4 | D | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | ||
| 5 | F | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 4 | ||
| 6 | A | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 | ||
| 7 | J | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | ||
| 8 | I | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 9 | K | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | Final tournament | |
| 10 | B | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 3 | ||
| 11 | G | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) disciplinary points; 5) drawing of lots.
Notes:
- Disciplinary points: Iran –2, Syria –2, Saudi Arabia –3.
 - Thailand, as final tournament hosts, automatically qualified regardless of qualification results.
 
Qualified teams
    
The following 16 teams qualified for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in AFC U-23 Championship1 | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts | 30 August 2018[2] | 2 (2016, 2018) | |
| Group A winners | 26 March 2019 | 2 (2016, 2018) | |
| Group B winners | 26 March 2019 | 0 (debut) | |
| Group C winners | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| Group D winners | 26 March 2019 | 2 (2013, 2016) | |
| Group E winners | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| Group F winners | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| Group G winners | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| Group H winners | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| Group I winners | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| Group J winners | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| Group K winners | 26 March 2019 | 2 (2016, 2018) | |
| 1st best runners-up | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| 2nd best runners-up | 26 March 2019 | 2 (2013, 2016) | |
| 3rd best runners-up | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | |
| 4th best runners-up | 26 March 2019 | 3 (2013, 2016, 2018) | 
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
 
Goalscorers
    
There were 240 goals scored in 63 matches, for an average of 3.81 goals per match.
6 goals
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
 Pierce Waring
 Shan Huanhuan
 Zhang Yuning
 Murad Subeh
 Mohammad Atieh
 Hassan Palang
 Abdullah Al-Ahrak
 Abdullah Al-Hamdan
 Abd Al-Rahman Barakat
2 goals
 Omran Haydary
 Joe Champness
 Nicholas D'Agostino
 Abraham Majok
 Mohammed Al-Hardan
 Ahmed Al-Sherooqi
 Ahmed Bughammar
 Sayed Hashim Isa
 Mohamed Marhoon
 Hu Jinghang
 Lin Liangming
 Yang Liyu
 Reza Jabireh
 Amir Al-Ammari
 Ko Itakura
 Yuto Iwasaki
 Takefusa Kubo
 Yuta Nakayama
 Ernist Batyrkanov
 Akhyar Rashid
 Hein Htet Aung
 Ye Min Thu
 Yousef Emghamis
 Javier Gayoso
 Bassam Al-Rawi
 Saad Al-Selouli
 Abdulrahman Al-Yami
 Cho Young-wook
 Lee Dong-jun
 Supachok Sarachat
 Danilson Araújo
 Mohammed Al-Hammadi
 Bobur Abdikholikov
 Hà Đức Chinh
 Nguyễn Thành Chung
 Triệu Việt Hưng
1 goal
 Suliman Khorami
 Thomas Deng
 Riley McGree
 Tass Mourdoukoutas
 Aiden O'Neill
 Brandon Wilson
 Naseem Al-Shamsi
 Abdulaziz Khalid
 Biplu Ahmed
 Tutul Hossain Badsha
 Azim Izamuddin Suhaimi
 Narong Kakada
 Sin Kakada
 Cao Yongjing
 Huang Cong
 Jiang Shenglong
 Philip Ponder
 Tsui Wang Kit
 Yue Tze Nam
 Dimas Drajad
 Raffi Syarahil
 Mehdi Mehdikhani
 Omid Noorafkan
 Reza Shekari
 Hussein Jabbar
 Sajjad Jabbar
 Keita Endo
 Koki Machida
 Kyosuke Tagawa
 Yugo Tatsuta
 Ward Al-Barri
 Musa Al-Taamari
 Omar Al-Zebdieh
 Badr Abdulrahman
 Abdulmohsen Al-Ajmi
 Abdulaziz Al-Hadiyah
 Fawaz Al-Otaibi
 Bounphachan Bounkong
 Vannasone Douangmaity
 Chitpasong Latthachack
 Youssef Al Haj
 Alex Boutros
 Karim Darwiche
 Fouad Eid
 Mohammad Kdouh
 Hassan Mehanna
 Hussein Monzer
 Leong Hou In
 Leung Chi Seng
 Augusto Jeronimo
 Faisal Halim
 Danial Haqim
 Safawi Rasid
 Syahmi Safari
 Khash-Erdene Batbayar
 Myat Kaung Khant
 Lwin Moe Aung
 Zayar Naing
 Jon Hyok
 Jong Kum-song
 Pak Kwang-hun
 Ri Kum-hyok
 Muhsen Al-Ghassani
 Saud Al-Habsi
 Amran Al-Hidi
 Yousuf Al-Malki
 Ahmed Al-Matroushi
 Hani Abdallah
 Saadou Abdelsalam
 Mahmoud Al-Iwisat
 Oday Dabbagh
 Raed Dahla
 Mousa Farawi
 Dawoud Iraqi
 Mahmoud Salma
 Ayman Al-Khulaif
 Abdulrahman Ghareeb
 Amiruldin Asraf
 Ikhsan Fandi
 Irfan Fandi
 Hami Syahin
 Lionel Tan
 Han Chan-hee
 Jang Min-gyu
 Kim Bo-sub
 Lee Si-heon
 Seo Gyeong-ju
 Alaa Dali
 Kamel Koaeh
 Sharafdzhon Solehov
 Daler Yodgorov
 Anon Amornlerdsak
 Shinnaphat Leeaoh
 Suphanat Mueanta
 Saringkan Promsupa
 Henrique Cruz
 Rufino Gama
 Bagtyýar Gürgenow
 Majed Rashed
 Mohammed Ali Shaker
 Jassem Yaqoub
 Islom Kobilov
 Đinh Thanh Bình
 Huỳnh Tấn Sinh
 Nguyễn Hoàng Đức
 Nguyễn Quang Hải
 Trần Thanh Sơn
1 own goal
 Haimie Anak Nyaring (against Thailand)
 Ouk Sovann (against South Korea)
 Wan Tin Iao (against Timor-Leste)
 Dinesh Rajbanshi (against Qatar)
 Şazada Başimow (against Iran)
References
    
- "AFC Competitions Calendar 2019". 28 February 2018.
 - "FA Thailand proposed as 2020 AFC U-23 Championship host". AFC. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
 - "Teams to learn opponents for 2020 Qualifiers". AFC. 6 November 2018.
 - "Journey to Thailand 2020 begins". AFC. 7 November 2018.
 - "AFC U23 Championship 2020 Qualifiers Draw". YouTube. 7 November 2018.
 - "Competition Regulations AFC U-23 Championship 2020". AFC.
 - "Pakistan withdraw from AFC U23 Championship 2020 qualifiers as tensions with India continue". Fox Sports Asia. 8 March 2019.
 
External links
    
- AFC U-23 Championship, the-AFC.com
 - AFC U-23 Championship 2020, stats.the-AFC.com