FIFA promotion opportunity is here!

Vietnam team has another friendly opponent

The Vietnamese team will face Cambodia in an international friendly on March 19 at Go Dau Stadium. This is the first time in four years that the two teams have met.

The last time the Vietnamese team competed against Cambodia was at the AFF Cup 2020. On a neutral field in Singapore, Quang Hai and his teammates won 4-0. Previously at the AFF Cup 2018, Vietnam won 3-0 at home at Hang Day Stadium against Cambodia to take the top spot in the group.

The Vietnamese team won the AFF Cup 2024 with a convincing record (7 wins, 1 draw), while the Cambodian team was eliminated in the group stage. Coach Koji Ryotoku and his team won against Timor Leste (2-1), drew with Malaysia (2-2), lost to Singapore (1-2) and Thailand (2-3).

Vietnam team plays 2 matches in March

With the friendly match against Cambodia, the Vietnamese team will have a total of 3 matches in March. Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will face Cambodia (March 19) in an international friendly. On March 25, the Vietnamese team will compete with Laos in the opening match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. All 3 matches will take place at Go Dau Stadium ( Binh Duong province).

Win to move up the ranks

The continuous friendly matches help the Vietnamese team have the opportunity to improve their ranking on the FIFA scoreboard. Before entering the AFF Cup 2024, Quang Hai and his teammates ranked 114th.

However, 7 wins in 8 matches in the Southeast Asian playground helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team accumulate an additional 10.22 points, thereby rising to 112th place with 1,175.01 points (according to estimates from Football Ranking).

With 10.22 points, the Vietnamese team became the team with the most points increase on the FIFA rankings in January. Part of the reason is that the AFF Cup 2024 takes place during a time when most national teams in the world are not focused on competing. Therefore, important victories have helped Vietnam increase its ranking.

Coach Kim and his team need to accumulate points from friendly matches.

For example, the Vietnamese team was awarded 2.79 points for beating Thailand 2-1 in the first leg of the final. Then, in the second leg of the final, Vietnam came back to win 3-2, thus gaining 2.77 points. Although they only moved up 2 places, the accumulated 10.22 points helped coach Kim Sang-sik and his team narrow the gap with the world's top 100.

A good position on the FIFA rankings is very important, because this is the basis for seeding for the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, which are the key tournaments that the Vietnamese team is aiming for in the next 2 years.

In the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam is in the same group as Malaysia, Laos and Nepal. The goal of Mr. Kim and his team is to win the top spot to qualify for the final round.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doi-tuyen-viet-nam-chot-giao-huu-voi-campuchia-co-hoi-thang-hang-fifa-la-day-185250208084248592.htm