The 24-team tournament is divided into six groups of four, with all of the sides finishing in the top two places in their group and the four best ranked third placed teams progressing into a round of 16. Each side will send their under-23 teams to the tournament, in a system similar to that found at the Olympics.
Thailand, who finished fourth in 2018, face stern opponents in the form of Uzbekistan, as well as Bangladesh and Qatar. The current up-and-coming War Elephants face a stern test to live up to the “golden generation” that took to the field in South Korea four years ago.
Defending bronze medalists Iraq feature alongside China in Group C. The two heavyweights will be widely expected to tussle for the top spot, with the latter seeing strong performances at youth levels as crucial to achieving the long-term success in the sport which they have invested so much in. They are joined in the group stage by Syria and East Timor,
Japan will be looking to follow up on their excellent showing at the World Cup when they travel to Indonesia. Their opponents come in the form of Vietnam, who have continued to impress at youth levels, as well as Nepal and Pakistan.
In group E, previous hosts and defending champions South Korea face Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, and Bahrain. Meanwhile, their northern neighbors, who won Silver in Seoul four years ago, take on Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Myanmar in what could shape up to be a highly politically charged group.
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