Vietnam U16 team completes warm-up, ready to compete at CFA Team China tournament
Ahead of the CFA Team China 2025 International U16 Tournament, the Vietnam U16 team is urgently completing the final preparation stage with determination and high concentration.
The Vietnam U16 team is entering a sprint training phase to complete the final preparations before leaving for the CFA Team China 2025 International U16 Football Tournament, taking place from May 28 to June 1 in China.
Recently, coach Cristiano Roland and his team had two important practice matches with the Hanoi U17 team and the Bac Ninh U17 team at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center. These are necessary tests for the coaching staff to evaluate the professional quality, tactical ability and individual performance of each player, thereby building the optimal framework for the upcoming tournament.
Sharing with the media before the training session on the afternoon of May 23, head coach Cristiano Roland affirmed the importance of this international tournament: “This is a valuable opportunity for young players to experience the international competition environment and understand the level of football in Asia. This is also an important preparation step for the 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers.”
The Brazilian strategist expressed satisfaction with the rapid progress of his students in the past two weeks of training: “I highly appreciate the spirit, attitude in training and competition of the whole team. They have shown the will to overcome difficulties, proactive problem solving and the ability to adapt well to the team environment.”
In terms of physical fitness, coach Cristiano Roland said that the current generation of players has a better foundation than previous generations: “They respond well to the training program and are able to maintain their fitness in difficult times. However, this is just the beginning and they need to continue to accumulate to develop more comprehensively.”
According to the plan, the Vietnam U16 team will have one last friendly match before finalizing the official list of 23 to 24 players and leaving for China on the morning of May 25. At the CFA Team China 2025 International U16 Tournament, the Vietnam team will compete with three strong teams: U16 Australia, U16 Saudi Arabia and host U16 China.
Coach Roland also emphasized that selecting personnel for this tournament was not an easy decision: “All the players have good spirit and attitude. Those who were not selected this time still have many opportunities ahead, because this is just the first step in the journey of preparing for the future”./.
