U23 Vietnam prepares best for SEA Games 33 and 2026 AFC U23 Championship

U23 Vietnam has just determined the opponents in Group A of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kyrgyzstan.

This is a competitive group, but with the investment and thorough preparation of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), U23 Vietnam can be completely confident in their abilities.

According to the assessment, all three opponents of U23 Vietnam possess their own strengths. In particular, Saudi Arabia not only has home field advantage but also won the tournament in 2022, considered one of the leading candidates for the championship.

Jordan U23 won third place in 2013 and reached the quarter-finals twice in 2016 and 2020. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan U23, although participating in the finals for the first time, is showing strong progress with technical play and has won a ticket as the group winner in the qualifying round.

However, with 6 consecutive appearances at the finals and being ranked in the second seed group at the 2026 tournament, U23 Vietnam has reason to be confident in its ability to compete.

Notably, the team’s preparations were proactively carried out by the VFF very early. Accordingly, in addition to adjusting the schedule of national professional tournaments to match the team’s schedule.

U23 Vietnam prepares best for SEA Games 33 and 2026 AFC U23 Championship - photo 2 — Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will have the best preparation for the two upcoming goals.

The core force of young players of the U22 generation will also be given the opportunity to concentrate, train and compete internationally from the end of 2024 by the VFF, thereby contributing significantly to helping the team win the U23 Southeast Asian Championship for the third consecutive time, while also creating the necessary accumulation for two key goals: the 33rd SEA Games at the end of this year and the U23 Asian Finals taking place in early 2026.

In particular, in the upcoming important preparation phase, VFF has coordinated with the Qatar Football Federation according to the Memorandum of Understanding on football development cooperation between the two Federations signed and implemented from 2023 to present, thereby helping U23 Vietnam have two quality friendly matches with U23 Qatar during the training trip in the UAE in October 2025.

Next, in November 2025, the team will participate in an international tournament in China according to the Memorandum of Understanding on football development cooperation signed directly by the Presidents of the two Federations in August 2025.

This tournament is expected to bring together U23 China, U23 Vietnam and two other strong U23 teams from the continent, promising to be an important opportunity for coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to continue practicing tactics, perfecting the squad and accumulating experience before big goals.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/u23-viet-nam-chuan-bi-tot-nhat-cho-sea-games-33-va-vck-u23-chau-a-2026-172004.html