AFC Asian Cup U23, on Thursday,
Score, Highlights
Short Preview
In an exciting AFC Asian Cup U23 matchup, Iraq U23 will face off against China U23 on January 8, 2026. Iraq U23 comes into the game with solid recent form, having won three of their last four matches. On the other hand, China U23 has yet to secure a victory in their recent matches.
Iraq U23 will have the advantage of playing at home, which could give them an edge in this contest. With odds favoring the home team at 2.27, they will look to capitalize on their recent successes and continue their winning streak. China U23, with odds at 3.03, will need to step up their game and find a way to secure a positive result on the road.
Both teams will likely focus on their tactical strengths to gain an upper hand in this matchup. Iraq U23 will rely on their strong attacking plays, while China U23 will look to tighten up their defense and counter effectively.
In conclusion, this promises to be a closely contested match with both teams having the potential to come out on top. It will be interesting to see how the teams perform and which side will prevail in this AFC Asian Cup U23 clash.
This preview is generated with the Welcome.Bet AI Insights Engine, combining form data, betting odds, and semantic SEO optimization to deliver relevant match analysis for fans and bettors alike from 2026-01-01T12:52:03+00:00.
| Iraq U23 41.3% |
Draw 29.5% |
China U23 29.2% |
Prediction (the most likely score): 1:1
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Betting Odds
| 1 | X | 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
2.18 | 3.15 | 3.15 | |
 |
2.28 | 3.16 | 3.14 | |
 |
2.2 | 2.9 | 3.1 | |
 |
2.24 | 3.24 | 3.17 |
Latest Results
| 16.12.25 Saudi Arabia U23 – Iraq U23 – 2:0 14.12.25 Iraq U23 – Qatar U23 – 2:1 penalties 10.12.25 Iraq U23 – United Arab Emirates U23 – 1:0 07.12.25 Oman U23 – Iraq U23 – 0:2 14.10.25 Tunisia U23 – Iraq U23 – 3:0 |
14.10.25 China U23 – Thailand U23 – 0:0 09.09.25 Australia U23 – China U23 – 0:0 22.04.24 United Arab Emirates U23 – China U23 – 1:2 19.04.24 China U23 – South Korea U23 – 0:2 16.04.24 Japan U23 – China U23 – 1:0 |
Facts
Standings
Qualification
Group A
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Jordan U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19:1 | 18 | 9 |
| 2 | Turkmenistan U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8:3 | 5 | 6 |
| 3 | Bhutan U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3:14 | -11 | 3 |
| 4 | Chinese Taipei U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2:14 | -12 | 0 |
Group B
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Japan U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11:2 | 9 | 9 |
| 2 | Kuwait U23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2:6 | -4 | 4 |
| 3 | Afghanistan U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2:5 | -3 | 3 |
| 4 | Myanmar U23 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2:4 | -2 | 1 |
Group C
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Vietnam U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 4 | 9 |
| 2 | Yemen U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Bangladesh U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:4 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Singapore U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2:7 | -5 | 0 |
Group D
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Australia U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 20:0 | 20 | 7 |
| 2 | China U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12:1 | 11 | 7 |
| 3 | Timor-Leste U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7:8 | -1 | 3 |
| 4 | Northern Mariana Islands U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:30 | -30 | 0 |
Group E
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Kyrgyzstan U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10:3 | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8:3 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | Palestine U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7:4 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:15 | -15 | 0 |
Group F
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Thailand U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10:3 | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | Lebanon U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6:2 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Malaysia U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8:3 | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | Mongolia U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:16 | -16 | 0 |
Group G
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Iraq U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9:1 | 8 | 7 |
| 2 | Cambodia U23 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1:0 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | Oman U23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1:1 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Pakistan U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1:10 | -9 | 0 |
Group H
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Qatar U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17:2 | 15 | 9 |
| 2 | India U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9:2 | 7 | 6 |
| 3 | Bahrain U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11:4 | 7 | 3 |
| 4 | Brunei U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:29 | -29 | 0 |
Group I
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Iran U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13:2 | 11 | 9 |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17:3 | 14 | 6 |
| 3 | Hong Kong U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1:6 | -5 | 3 |
| 4 | Guam U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0:20 | -20 | 0 |
Group J
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | South Korea U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13:0 | 13 | 9 |
| 2 | Indonesia U23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5:1 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | Laos U23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3:8 | -5 | 4 |
| 4 | Macau U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1:13 | -12 | 0 |
Group K
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | Syria U23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7:3 | 4 | 9 |
| 2 | Philippines U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6:2 | 4 | 6 |
| 3 | Tajikistan U23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Nepal U23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2:12 | -10 | 0 |
Ranking of second-placed teams
| Pl | W | D | L | Diff | Pts | |||
| 1 | China U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12:1 | 11 | 7 |
| 2 | Uzbekistan U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8:3 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | Lebanon U23 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6:2 | 4 | 7 |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17:3 | 14 | 6 |
| 5 | India U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9:2 | 7 | 6 |
| 6 | Turkmenistan U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8:3 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Philippines U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6:2 | 4 | 6 |
| 8 | Yemen U23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Cambodia U23 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1:0 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | Indonesia U23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5:1 | 4 | 4 |
| 11 | Kuwait U23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2:6 | -4 | 4 |
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