Vietnam U17 team gathers to prepare for the U17 Asian finals

As part of the preparation plan for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals, the Vietnam U17 team will regroup from February 22 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center.

Because many players from the Vietnam U17 team are competing in the final round of the 2024/25 National U19 Championship in Ba Ria Vung Tau, the team can only gather about 1/3 of the team in the first phase of concentration. The team will have full strength after the final round of the 2024/25 National U19 Championship ends on February 28.

Regarding the coaching staff, coach Cristiano Roland continues to be trusted by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to lead the Vietnam U17 team to participate in the 2025 AFC U17 Championship. The Brazilian strategist is known as the one who led the Vietnam U17 team to overcome the 2025 AFC U17 Championship Qualifiers with 3 unbeaten matches, including a 0-0 draw with Kyrgyzstan, a 2-0 win over Myanmar and a 1-1 draw with Yemen, thereby ranking second in Group I.

Previously, in the preparation phase for the 2025 AFC U17 Qualifiers, coach Cristiano Roland and his students made a strong impression when they defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 and Japan 1-0 to win the overall runner-up position at the 2024 Peace Cup – China international friendly tournament.

Joining coach Cristiano Roland on the coaching staff is Portuguese assistant coach Fernando Atz Gabriel, along with Vietnamese assistant coaches including: Nguyen Dai Dong (Hanoi Club), Hoang Tuan Anh (PVF), Nguyen Ngoc Duy (PVF), goalkeeper coach Tran Van Dien (PVF) and Brazilian fitness expert Brandi Regato Neto Jose (VFF).

In addition, in order to improve the quality of the coaching staff of the Vietnam U17 team to face greater challenges at the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals, with the support and recommendation of the Japan Football Federation, VFF decided to appoint Mr. Yutaka Ikeuchi as a technical supervisor, accompanying head coach Cristiano Roland and his colleagues.

According to the plan, after the training period at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center, the Vietnam U17 team will go to Oman for training from March 23 to March 29. Here, the team will have 2 "test matches" with the host U17 Oman before moving to Saudi Arabia to participate in the 2025 AFC U17 Championship finals.

According to FIFA's decision, from 2025, the FIFA U17 World Cup will be held annually instead of every two years, and the number of participating teams will increase from 24 to 48, with Asia being given 8 spots. This means that the 8 teams that reach the Quarterfinals of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship will qualify for the U17 World Cup.

At the 2025 AFC U17 Championship, the Vietnam U17 team is in a group with defending champions Japan, Australia – a team that has reached the semi-finals three times, and the UAE. Despite being in a group considered difficult, head coach Cristiano Roland is still confident in the competitiveness of the Vietnam U17 team.

The 49-year-old coach said that the challenge for U17 Vietnam is huge, but with careful preparation and determination, the whole team is striving towards the goal of passing the group stage, going deep into the tournament and winning a ticket to the final round of the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025.