Vietnam - Philippines: Opportunity to open points in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers

Vietnam is expected to score points when visiting the Philippines in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers thanks to its good squad and careful tactical preparation.

Coach Philippe Troussier and his team's journey to the 2026 World Cup will begin in the second qualifying round, with the opening match taking place at Rizal Memorial Stadium (Manila, Philippines). With the broadcasting sponsorship of Casper Vietnam, the match between the Philippines and Vietnam will be broadcast live byFPT Play at 6:00 p.m. on November 16.

On November 13, the Vietnamese team departed from Hanoi to the Philippines to prepare for the first match. "Ready" was the word that coach Philippe Troussier mentioned many times during his warm-up session with his players before the important journey. 8 months since the French strategist was appointed to the hot seat of the Vietnamese team, the coach born in 1955 and his colleagues have made many efforts to get to know and talk to better understand the players, test and convey philosophy, tactics and wishes.

Vietnamese players in a training session before the match. Photo: VFF

To get the best result in the opening match, Coach Troussier considered a squad that combines youth and experienced players. Key players such as Van Lam, Que Ngoc Hai, Hung Dung, Tuan Hai... who helped Vietnam enter the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup will compete with new hopes such as Tuan Tai, Van Khang, Thai Son and Thanh Nhan.

Vietnam will face a familiar opponent in the region, the Philippines. Compared to the remaining names in Group F such as Iraq or Indonesia, the Philippines team is considered weaker. However, "The Azkals" still have home field advantage. Coach Michael Weiss also has many young talents.

The Philippines team has 6 players currently playing in the country and 20 players currently playing abroad. Among them are prominent names such as veteran goalkeeper Neil Etheridge (Birmingham City, England), Tabinas Jefferson (Mito HollyHock, Japan) or defender Santiago Rublico (Atletico Madrid, Spain). Under the leadership of coach Michael Weiss, the Philippines team's playing style is considered methodical with a solid defense and quick transitions to attack.

To cope with the opponent having many naturalized players, Coach Troussier asked his players to practice physical training immediately after settling down in Manila. Vietnam had 3 training sessions on the official Rizal Memorial field to get used to the artificial turf.

Vietnam has defeated the Philippines in the last 4 matches and is 40 places higher than its opponent in the FIFA rankings. The team is expected to win all 3 points to create a comfortable spirit on the journey to win a ticket to the 3rd qualifying round.

Sharing Group F with Iraq, Indonesia and the Philippines, the Vietnam national team will play a total of 6 matches from now until June 2024. At the 2026 World Cup, the Asian region has 8.5 participating slots, an increase of 4 slots compared to 2022. At the 2022 World Cup, Vietnam entered the 3rd qualifying round but did not get a ticket to Qatar when it finished last in the group.

This match will be broadcast live on FPT Play platforms such as website, applications for smart TV devices, smart phones, PC/laptop, FPT Play Box and digital channel system. This is the effort of Casper Vietnam and FPT Play after many rounds of urgent negotiations with the Philippine partner to bring the copyright to the country.

In addition, the match will also be broadcast live on Vietnam Television (VTV). FPT Play is also the broadcaster of three home matches of the Vietnam National Team in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

Hoai Phuong

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