VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam and Australia have both been selected to compete in Group D at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship Finals Draw in Doha, Qatar on September 12.

U-23 Vietnam are expected to create quite a stir against their opponents in Group D.

The two teams will join the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan in a group-stage round robin tournament, with the top two performers to automatically advance to the knockout stage.

Thailand and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will both face the same challenge in Group B, which is considered the group of death due to the presence of powerhouses Japan and 2013 runners-up Saudi Arabia.

Group A includes hosts Qatar, Syria, Iran and China, while reigning champions Iraq, the Republic of Korea, Uzbekistan and Yemen make up Group C.

Vietnam and Thailand are the only two representatives of the Southeast Asian region and are two of three teams, including Qatar, to debut in the tournament – the second edition of its kind following the first in 2013.

Vietnam qualified for the finals as the third best runner-up of the qualification round held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia a few months ago, coming in second place in Group I with six points.

As planned, Vietnam’s U-23 team will reconvene this December in preparation for the 2016 AFC U-23 finals, scheduled to take place in Qatar from January 12-30. The top three teams of the final stage will represent Asia to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Nhan Dan