The match is scheduled to kick off at 22:30 on January 20 (Vietnam time) at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia.

King, whose full name is Alexander George King, has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2020 and has regularly taken charge of major continental competitions, including the AFC Champions League, the Asian Cup and multiple editions of the AFC U23 Asian Cup.

Notably, he previously officiated the group-stage match in which U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Saudi Arabia 1–0, a result that secured the Vietnamese side’s place in the knockout rounds under head coach Kim Sang-sik.

Assisting King will be fellow Australians James Andrew Lindsay and Kearney John Robinson. The fourth official is Qasim Matar Ali Al-Hatmi of Oman, while Nasser Salim Abdullah Ambusaidi (Oman) has been named reserve referee.

The VAR team will be headed by Muhammad Taqi Aljaafari Bin Jahari of Singapore, a familiar figure to Vietnamese fans who has overseen several matches involving U23 Vietnam, including the quarterfinal against U23 UAE. He will be supported by Sivakorn Pu-Udom of Thailand and Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed of the UAE.

The semifinal is expected to be one of the tournament’s key fixtures, with both teams fielding promising young squads aiming to secure a place in the final.

With an experienced officiating team led by King, the AFC expects the match to be conducted with consistency and control as U23 Vietnam and U23 China battle for a spot in the championship match.

Vietnam U23 defeat UAE in extra time to advance to AFC U23 Asian Cup semifinals

VOV.VN - Vietnam U23 booked a place in the semifinals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 after a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over UAE U23 on January 16 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.