The journey of a young man from Nghe An province to becoming a World Cup commentator.

The road to dreams

Gia Khánh is one of 16 contestants selected from hundreds of applicants nationwide to participate in the "Fans Comment Together" program.FIFA World Cup2026.” In that group, Khanh was the youngest member.

In 2014, at the age of 7, Gia Khánh first learned about the World Cup through late-night viewings with his grandfather and mother. The more he watched, the more captivated Khánh became by the beauty of the beautiful game. He wasn't just fascinated by the plays; he also paid special attention to how the commentators told the story of the match with words and emotion.

Khánh practiced commentary at home, and his passion grew with each passing season. With a good voice and memory, eloquent speaking skills, and the ability to vary his tone of voice, by the 7th grade, Khánh confidently took the microphone to commentate on matches for a class association. Besides listening to famous commentators to learn how to lead a game, Khánh also played football himself to understand tactics, positions, technical terminology, and to feel the rhythm of a real match.

Khánh considers his strength to be his ability to provide information, while his weakness lies in his emotional outburst. To compensate for this gap, he chooses the simplest method: commenting extensively on everything from school, neighborhood, and ward football tournaments to amateur competitions…

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I improved my skills through practical experience because I believe that the more I commented, the better I could get. Luckily, my mentors and teachers always trusted me and gave me opportunities.

Nguyen Tran Gia Khanh

The first turning point came in 2024 when Khanh participated in the "Let's Get in the Cabin" competition to apply for a UEFA Euro 2024 commentary position. At that time, despite studying for his university entrance exams, Khanh decided to dedicate a whole day to traveling to Hanoi for the audition. As one of the youngest contestants, he arrived at 5:30 AM and didn't leave the audition venue until nearly 11 PM after going through a series of auditions, interviews, and live commentary sessions.

Although he didn't win the final spot, the competition brought Khánh something more valuable than just a result. "It was my first time experiencing a professional commentary environment. I realized I was still too inexperienced compared to those who came before me, especially in my ability to prepare before matches. Those shortcomings helped me understand what I needed to change," Khánh shared.

Two years later, the opportunity knocked once again.

When participating in the "Fans Commenting on the FIFA World Cup 2026" program, Khanh entered the competition with a much calmer mindset. A month after submitting his application, he received news that he had made it to the live selection round.

Right when the World Cup was taking place, Khanh was attending his military training semester. His already limited time became even tighter, but he still managed to use every break to keep up with the teams, jotting down noteworthy statistics and behind-the-scenes stories in his notebook, and preparing data files for each match. It was the first time Khanh had ever prepared so thoroughly.

She shared: "Before each match, I create a separate file, preparing information and phrases I can use during commentary. I also try to balance emotion and information. This year, VTV's direction is to commentate in a friendly, playful, and interactive style, so that viewers feel like they are watching football with two friends. After this World Cup, I feel that I have really improved a lot."

One of the most memorable moments for Gia Khánh was the semi-final match betweenHeroAnd in England – it was his first time directly commentating on a match featuring Lionel Messi. "The Messi fan base is huge, so I prepared extremely well. But when the match started, I no longer felt any pressure. I felt like I was truly enjoying myself with every word. The match was so exhilarating, and Messi was absolutely fantastic," Khánh confided.

Invaluable companionship

If passion is what brought Gia Khánh closer to the commentary booth, then the support of his family, friends, and mentors is the foundation that gives him the confidence to move forward.

Of all the matches Khánh was assigned to commentate on at the 2026 World Cup, he remembers most vividly the first match between Paraguay and Australia, which took place on the morning of June 26th. That was the first time his name and image appeared on national television as a commentator.

"The night before the match, I posted an announcement on my personal Facebook page, and my phone was constantly receiving messages. Family, friends, teachers, and people who had followed me from amateur football tournaments all sent congratulations. It felt like everyone had been waiting for this day for a long time and were as happy as if it were my own success. For that match, family members and relatives put aside all their work to support me," Khánh recounted.

Speaking about his family, the 19-year-old proudly said: "I'm lucky because my parents have always respected my choices. Even when I decided to apply to the University of Theatre and Film, a rather risky path, my parents still supported me. It was my mother who read about the 'Fans Comment on FIFA World Cup 2026' contest, sent it to me, and encouraged me to register. Without my mother, I probably would have missed this opportunity."

"Every child has their own unique strengths. When children are trusted by their families and given the opportunity to develop those strengths, they will be happier and more mature. Therefore, we always encourage Khanh to boldly experience new things, from local amateur football tournaments to professional commentary competitions. Each experience helps him take another step forward on the path he has chosen," shared Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Linh, Gia Khanh's mother.

Besides family, the working environment at the "Fans Commenting on the FIFA World Cup 2026" program also left many fond memories for Khanh.

As the youngest member of the 16-person commentary team, Khanh was initially nervous working alongside experienced seniors. However, the sincerity and openness of his colleagues quickly bridged the gap. Outside of broadcast time, the members eat together, play sports, exchange expertise, and provide feedback after each match. Whenever Khanh made a small mistake, the seniors gently pointed it out so he could learn from it instead of putting pressure on him. After each match, the seniors offered constructive criticism on even the smallest errors in breathing techniques, rhythm control, and transitions. These sincere comments helped him grow every day. "I always feel like I have not only colleagues but also mentors in the profession," Khanh confided.

At 19, Nguyen Tran Gia Khanh's career journey has only just begun. Just two years ago, Gia Khanh was a student queuing up at 5:30 a.m. to audition. This summer, he's sitting in the World Cup commentary booth. The gap between these two milestones isn't due to luck, but rather thousands of hours of self-study, practice, and self-improvement after each match.

Diep Thanh