The WAFF U-23 Championship () is an international football competition organised by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) for the men's under-23 national teams of West Asia. The competition was first held in 2015, with Iran winning the inaugural edition.
History The inaugural tournament was held in Doha, Qatar, from 30 September to 14 October 2015, with ten teams participating. Iran defeated Syria 2–0 in the final to become the first champions. The competition returned in 2021, with Saudi Arabia hosting the second edition from 4 to 12 October. Eleven teams participated, and Jordan won the title after defeating the hosts 3–1 in the final.
The third edition was held in Saudi Arabia in November 2022 after the tournament was moved from its originally designated host, Iraq. Six teams participated, with Saudi Arabia defeating Qatar 3–1 in the final to win their first title. The 2023 edition was held in Iraq from 12 to 20 June, with nine teams participating. Iraq won its first title after defeating Iran on penalties in the final.
The 2024 edition was held in Saudi Arabia from 20 to 26 March. Four WAFF members were joined by four invited teams from outside West Asia—Australia, Egypt, South Korea and Thailand—as part of the federation's efforts to expand participation. South Korea won the title, defeating Australia on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the final. The 2025 edition was held in Oman from 19 to 25 March. Eight teams participated, and Oman won its first title after defeating Jordan 3–1 in the final. Results EditionYearHostFinalThird place playoff or losing semi-finalistsChampionsScoreRunners-upThird placeScoreFourth place120152–03–0220213–1 and 320223–11–0420231–1 and 520242–2 2–2 620253–1 1–0 62026–27
Teams reaching the top four TeamChampionsRunners-upThird placeFourth placeSemi-finalistTotal (Top 4)1 (2022)1 (2021)1 (2024) – –31 (2015)1 (2023) – – –21 (2025) – –1 (2022)1 (2023)31 (2021)1 (2025) – –1 (2023)31 (2023) – – –1 (2021)21 (2024) – – – –1 –1 (2015)2 (2022, 2025) –1 (2021)4 –1 (2022)1 (2015) – –2 –1 (2024) – – –1 – – –1 (2015) –1 – – –1 (2024) –1 – – –1 (2025) –1 Results from host teams shown in bold
Comprehensive team results by tournament Legend – Champions – Runners-up – Third place – Fourth place – Semi-finals (no third place match) GS – Group stage Q – Qualified for upcoming tournament – Did not qualify – Did not enter / Withdrew / Banned – Hosts
For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown. Team 2015 (10) 2021 (11) 2022 (6) 2023 (9) 2024 (8) Total 2nd 1 GS GS GS × × 3 4th 1 1st 2nd 2 × SF ×1st 6th 3 GS 1st × SF 5th 4 × GS × × × 1 × GS GS GS × 3 GS GS 4th SF × 4 GS GS × GS × 3 3rd × 2nd × × 2 GS2nd 1st × 3rd 4 1st 1 2nd SF 3rd GS × 4 7th 1 GS GS × GS 8th 4 4th GS × GS × 3
Awards TournamentMost Valuable PlayerTop goalscorer(s)GoalsBest goalkeeper Amir Arsalan Motahari Akram Afif4 Mohammad Reza Akhbari Yazan Al-Naimat Mohammad Aburiziq Nawaf Al-Aqidi Ahmed Al-Ghamdi Al Faraj Al Kiyumi Nasser Al Rawahi Ahmed Al-Ghamdi Ziyad Al-Johani Mohammed Maran Mohamad Rihanieh2 Waseem Ayoub Muntadher Mohammed Hussein Abdullah3 Kumel Al-Rekabe
Winning coaches Year Team Coach 2015 Mohammad Khakpour 2021 Ahmad Hayel 2022 Saad Al-Shehri 2023 Radhi Shenaishil 2024 Myung Jae-yong
Overall team records Teams are ranked by total points, then by goal difference, then by goals scored.
Rank Team 14148332716+112724137332315+82434136161820–219428440136+71653114431512+316629432117+41574124171515013838413910–11393103251016–611101321042+27114102171016–671237205615–96131312054+15141312043+15151310224–63161302134–121738026717–102
See also WAFF Championship WAFF U-19 Championship WAFF U-17 Championship AFC U-23 Asian Cup
References