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 D which features Jordan , Australia , United Arab Emirates and Vietnam
 
Jordan will look to continue their form at the AFC U23 Championship in Qatar after securing an impressive third-place finish in the inaugural edition of the tournament two years ago.
 
Two years ago at the AFC U-22 Championship in Oman, Jordan kicked off with a 1-1 draw against Korea Republic before defeating the hosts thanks to Belal Qwaider’s 59th minute strike before Hamza Al Dardour, who would go onto score four goals for the national team against Palestine in the group stage of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia, netted a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Myanmar which secured top spot in Group A.
 
A late goal from Ibrahim Daldoom then helped Jordan edge a tight affair against the United Arab Emirates in the last eight, but eventual runners-up Saudi Arabia prevailed 3-1 in their semi-final.
 
Jordan did end the tournament on a high note by sealing third place, after edging Korea Republic on penalties following a goalless draw after 120 minutes. The Jordanians have never made it to an Olympic tournament and will be hoping a strong showing in Qatar can get them to Rio 2016.
 
Australia will look to improve on their quarter-final showing at the inaugural edition of the AFC U23 Championship two years ago as the Olyroos look to emulate the success of the senior side, who won the AFC Asian Cup on home soil in early 2015.
 
Two years ago in Oman at the AFC U-22 Championship, Australia advanced to the last eight at the top of Group C after successive 1-0 wins over Kuwait and Iran prior to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Japan.
 
But pair of quick-fire goals from eventual runners-up Saudi Arabia either side of the hour mark ended Australia’s title hopes as the 10 men lost 2-1 in Muscat after Hoole was sent-off.
 
The Olyroos will hope they can improve on their 2014 showing and claim a top-three finish that would see them become the country’s eighth representatives at the Olympic Games.
 
At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Australia achieved their best ever performance by reaching the semi-finals before losing 6-1 to Poland, whilst they have  also reached the quarter-finals on three occasions in  1956, 1988 and 2004.


 
The United Arab Emirates will look to build on their quarter-final showing at the inaugural edition of the AFC U23 Championship in 2014 as they aim to emulate the success of the senior side, which finished third at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, and in turn qualify for their second successive Olympic Games.
 
 
At the AFC U-22 Championship in Oman two years ago, the UAE progressed to the quarter-finals as Group B runner-up after a 1-0 victory over Yemen was sandwiched in between draws against Syria and DPR Korea. But a late strike by Ibrahim Daldoom in the last eight saw them ousted 1-0 by eventual third-placed Jordan.
 
The UAE have only qualified for the Olympics on one occasion. During the 2012 tournament, The UAE lost to both Uruguay and hosts Great Britain in Group A before sharing a 1-1 draw with Senegal, but Mahdi Ali’s young charges drew numerous plaudits.
 
 
Vietnam earned a maiden appearance at the AFC U23 Championship after finishing as the third best runner-up of the qualifying campaign.
 
The ASEAN side failed to make the inaugural edition of the tournament in Oman two years ago after finishing a disappointing fifth in a six-team qualifying group.  Vietnam have never previously qualified for the Olympic Games, while they reached the Round of 16 at the last two editions of the Asian Games.
 
At the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, three-time silver medalists Vietnam made it all the way to the bronze medal match and recorded a 5-0 win over Indonesia.  They did fall short of a guaranteed medal after losing to Myanmar in the semi-finals, but Toshiya Miura’s side bounced back to beat Indonesia in the third place play-off.