Ahead of the start of the AFC U23 Championships on January the 11, QSL online has decided to have a look at the teams in each individual group. The tournament, which is the second most important men’s tournament for the AFC will be highlighting the best young Asian talent. The top three sides from this tournament will qualify for the Olympic Games tournament, being held in Rio.

Today we are looking at Group C which features Iraq, Korea Republic, Uzbekistan & Yemen.
 
Inaugural winners Iraq will look to continue their run of success at the AFC U23 Championship and win back-to-back continental titles.
 
 Iraq claimed victory in the AFC U-22 Championship in Oman two years ago after a first-half strike from Mohanad Abdulraheem secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the final.
 
With the top three teams also qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games, the reigning champions will be looking to go one better than the fourth-place finish achieved by their senior counterparts at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia.
 
Iraq have only qualified once for the Olympics and finished fourth at the 2004 tournament in Greece after advancing to the quarter-finals as Group D winners ahead of Costa Rica, Morocco and Portugal.
 
But after defeating Australia in the last eight, Iraq lost to Paraguay in the semi-finals and to Italy in the bronze medal play-off.


 
Having claimed a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Korea Republic head into the AFC U23 Championship looking to make up for their semi-final defeat to eventual winners Iraq in the inaugural edition of the competition two years ago.
 
Korea Republic finished fourth in the then AFC U-22 Championship in Oman, but with the 2016 competition also doubling up as the Olympic Games qualifying tournament, they will need to go at least one better this time out if they are to advance to Brazil 2016.
 
Korea Republic boasted an impressive Olympic Games qualifying record and have appeared in the last seven tournaments following earlier appearances in both 1948 and 1964.
 
At the 2012 Olympic Games, Park Chu-young and Koo Ja-cheol scored the goals as Korea Republic beat Japan to claim only Asia’s second medal in the men’s football tournament.
 
Uzbekistan secured a place at the AFC U23 Championship in Qatar after claiming the fifth and final best runner-up spot in qualifying. Two years ago in Oman at the AFC U-22 Championship, Uzbekistan secured a dramatic opening day victory as stoppage time goals secured a  2-1 win over China.
 
Uzbekistan then saw their hopes of progressing to the last eight dashed after a 2-1 defeat to Iraq, and despite heading into the final round of fixtures ahead of Saudi Arabia on goal difference, a 60^th minute strike from Zakaria Al Sudani handed Uzbekistan a second consecutive defeat to end their campaign at the first hurdle.
 
Uzbekistan have yet to appear at the Olympic Games, and will be hoping to navigate the tough group and finish in the top three to guarantee a trip to Rio 2016.
 
Yemen will be hoping to improve on their showing at the inaugural edition of the AFC U23 Championship two years ago in Oman, when they were eliminated at the group stage following three successive defeats.
 
The West Asians suffered a disappointing AFC U-22 Championship in 2014, when they exited in the first round after failing to pick up a point in Oman.
 
A 3-1 defeat to DPR Korea in their Group B opener at Seeb Stadium in Muscat, was followed by a 1-0 loss to the United Arab Emirates in their second game that saw them knocked out with a game remaining before Yemen also lost by a single goal to Syria.
 
Yemen have never appeared at the Olympic Games  however They finish fourth at the recent  2015 WAFF U-23 Championship after being edged out 2-1 by Qatar in the bronze medal play-off.