Dinh Bac will miss the 2026 Asian Games due to the VFF's new strategy.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is sending its U21 team to the 2026 Asian Games to prepare for the 34th SEA Games, meaning that players like Dinh Bac, who just won the 33rd SEA Games, will miss out on the opportunity to compete in the continental tournament.
At the 11th meeting of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), a landmark personnel decision was approved. Accordingly, the VFF unanimously agreed to send the Vietnam U21 team to represent the country at the 2026 Asian Games instead of the U23 team as usual. This is seen as a strategic move to build a successor force for the key objective of the 34th SEA Games in 2027 in Malaysia.
The regrets of the players who just won the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games.
The VFF's decision to prioritize the future means that the U22 national team players who recently won the gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games will officially miss the Asian Games next year. Key players such as Nguyen Dinh Bac, goalkeeper Trung Kien, and defender Ly Duc will no longer have the opportunity to participate in this tournament.
Most notably, there is the case of striker Nguyen Dinh Bac. The 22-year-old star from Nghe An had a breakout year in 2025, making a significant contribution to helping Vietnamese youth football achieve the "treble": winning the U23 Southeast Asian Championship, securing a SEA Games gold medal, and qualifying for the 2026 U23 Asian Championship finals. His absence from the Asian Games is a regrettable low point during the peak of his career.
The ultimate challenge in Qatar and the continental arena.
Despite missing out on the Asian Games, the core of the Vietnam U22 team is still focusing all their efforts on the challenges ahead. On December 26th, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will travel to Qatar for training to improve their physical fitness and refine their tactics. There, the team is expected to play an important friendly match against Syria U23, allowing the coaching staff to finalize their coordination and teamwork.
This training camp is a crucial stepping stone before entering the challenging group stage at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship. The team's specific schedule is as follows:
| Time | Competitor |
|---|---|
| 06/01 | Jordan U23 |
| 09/01 | Kyrgyzstan U23 |
| 12/01 | U23 Saudi Arabia (Host) |
Being drawn into a group with former champions Saudi Arabia demands intense focus from coach Kim Sang-sik and his players. This will be the last chance for the players born in 2003-2004 to prove their worth at the continental level before the team is completely handed over to the U21 generation.
