JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Japan became the first nation to win consecutive AFC U-23 Asian Cup titles after defeating China 4-0 in the 2026 final on Saturday evening at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium.
The final, which concluded the 19-day continental tournament hosted across Riyadh and Jeddah, saw the “Samurai Blue” secure their third overall title. The scoring opened in the 12th minute when Yuto Ozeki’s strike from distance deflected past Chinese goalkeeper Li Hao. Kosei Ogura doubled the lead eight minutes later, striking a powerful effort into the bottom corner from outside the box.
In the second half, Japan maintained offensive pressure, resulting in a penalty converted by Ryunosuke Sato in the 59th minute. Ogura completed the scoring in the 76th minute, netting his second of the match and his fourth of the tournament. Despite a 68th-minute effort from China’s Yang Xi being disallowed for offside following a VAR review, China was unable to breach the Japanese defense, which kept a clean sheet throughout the knockout stages.
The victory marks a historic milestone for Japan, while China achieved its best-ever finish in the competition as runners-up. Earlier on Friday, Vietnam secured the bronze medal at King Abdullah Sports City, defeating South Korea 7-6 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
Host nation Saudi Arabia finished the tournament in the group stage, recording one win against Kyrgyzstan (1-0) and two losses to Jordan and Vietnam. According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the 2026 edition saw a total of 32 matches played with over 8,000 spectators attending the final in Jeddah. The tournament serves as a key precursor to Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.