VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan speaks out about U.23 Vietnam's group in Asia

To help the Vietnam U.23 team achieve good results in the 2026 AFC U.23 Championship finals, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has planned a thorough training program for young players to gain experience and maintain their form.

Challenge for Vietnam U.23 team

According to the draw results on the afternoon of October 2, the U.23 Vietnam team is in Group A with host Saudi Arabia, the 2022 champion, Jordan and Kyrgyzstan - a team participating in the U.23 Asian Cup for the first time. This is considered a highly competitive group, with a championship candidate, an opponent with an unpredictable playing style and a rookie eager to show off.

The new cooperation agreement between the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was officially signed on August 4 in Beijing. The cooperation memorandum is valid for three years and will automatically be extended for another two years if there are no changes, marking a new chapter in the football development relationship between the two countries. VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan (right) and CFA President Song Kai

Photo: VFF

Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan - President of VFF (left) and former President of Qatar Football Federation

Photo: VFF

Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan, President of VFF shared: "This is a group that we need to prepare carefully. In addition to the very strong host Saudi Arabia, both U.23 Jordan and U.23 Kyrgyzstan are also very formidable. These two teams will advance as group winners, not as second-place teams with good results. Therefore, they have the strength and the U.23 Vietnam team will face many challenges. VFF and the U.23 Vietnam team will prepare carefully, not only for the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship but also for the 33rd SEA Games taking place at the end of this year."

Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan emphasized: "VFF is very proactive in its preparation plan. It has worked with the Qatar Football Federation so that U.23 Vietnam can have two important friendly matches with U.23 Qatar in October 2025. In November 2025, VFF will continue to send U.23 Vietnam to participate in a friendly tournament in China, according to the cooperation plan with the Chinese Football Federation. The tournament will have the host team U.23 China, U.23 Vietnam and expected 2 strong U.23 teams of Asia".

U.23 Vietnam trained in Qatar and China before SEA Games 33, U.23 Asia Finals 2026

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

U.23 Vietnam will continuously meet strong teams.

As part of the preparation plan for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, the Vietnam U23 team will regroup from October 4 in Hanoi , in parallel with the Vietnam team's training session during FIFA Days in October 2025. As head coach Kim Sang-sik is preparing with the team for two matches against Nepal in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the training of the Vietnam U23 team will continue to be assigned to acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh.

The team will train at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center until October 7 before going to the UAE for training. Here, U.23 Vietnam is expected to have two friendly matches with U.23 Qatar, which are considered to be of very high quality in terms of expertise, taking place on October 9 and October 13. In early November, the U.23 Vietnam team will go to China to compete in a friendly tournament organized by the Chinese Football Association. In addition to U.23 China, the U.23 Vietnam team will compete with two other strong teams in Asia to perfect the squad, practice tactics and gain experience for important goals ahead, including the 33rd SEA Games and the 2026 AFC U23 Championship.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chu-tich-vff-tran-quoc-tuan-len-tieng-ve-bang-dau-cua-u23-viet-nam-tai-chau-a-185251002160013395.htm