The Australian U23s will face Thailand, Iraq and Bahrain in Group A of the AFC U23 Championship which serves as the qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Group B is Qatar, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, Group C is Uzbekistan, South Korea, China and Iran, while Group D is Vietnam, North Korea, Jordan and UAE.

The top three teams will qualify for the Olympics, but as Japan have already qualified through hosting, if they reach the semi finals, the top four teams will then all be guaranteed a spot in Tokyo.

The Asian Football Confederation will finalise venues and a match schedule at a later date but the tournament is set to run from January 8-26.

Capital Bangkok along with Buriram, Pathum Thani and Songkhla are the four cities hosting the event.