AFF U23 Championship 2025/26

The AFF U23 Championship is a biennial international football tournament organized by the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). Formerly known as the AFF U-23 Championship, it was first held in 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand, under the name AFF U-23 Youth Championship. The tournament was cancelled in 2011 and revived in 2019 as the AFF U-22 Youth Championship before reverting to the U-23 age category and name in 2022. It serves as a regional championship for Under-23 national teams from ASEAN member nations.

The competition is not part of a domestic league pyramid and features no promotion or relegation. Participation is by invitation of AFF members. The format typically involves a group stage followed by knockout semi-finals and a final; recent editions (2022, 2023, 2025) used groups with the top teams advancing to semi-finals. The 2025 edition, hosted by Indonesia, was officially titled the ASEAN U-23 Mandiri Cup, marking the first time the tournament had a title sponsor (Bank Mandiri).

Vietnam is the most successful team, having won the tournament three times (2022, 2023, 2025), while Thailand won the inaugural 2005 edition. Indonesia won in 2019. The tournament is distinct from the SEA Games football tournament, which allows over-age players, and the senior AFF Championship. It acts as a key preparatory competition for the SEA Games and the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.