Thailand has been chosen as the host of the Under-23 AFC Championships in 2020, as reported by the AFC’s official website on Thursday, August 30th. This biennial tournament was most recently hosted by China earlier this year, in a campaign which saw Uzbekistan crowned Champions and Vietnam runners-up.
This tournament will constitute the competition’s fourth edition, and comes with the added significance of qualification to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, making it a vital competition for all of the continent’s major sides. The three best-placed sides will qualify for the summer games alongside hosts Japan, expanding the number of slots allocated for Asian teams at the competition.
The hosts were reportedly chosen ahead of Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia by the AFC’s Competition Committee.
For Thailand, this tournament provides the country’s U23 national team with a chance to redeem themselves after a poor showing at the Asian Games last month, where they crashed out in the group stage after a winless campaign in a group featuring Uzbekistan, Qatar and Bangladesh.