Coach Park Hang-seo and his team may have to play on neutral ground

According to the schedule,Vietnam teamThere will be 5 home matches including the match against Australia on September 7, against Japan on November 11, against Saudi Arabia on November 16, against China on February 1, 2022 and against Oman on March 24, 2022. However, up to now, the Vietnamese team has not yet determined whether it will compete in the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in a centralized format, or home and away.

According to the AFC announcement, if member federations want to organize matches at home, they must ensure that visiting teams do not have to quarantine, or quarantine for a maximum of two days. The AFC believes that long-term quarantine can cause players to lose their form, seriously affecting fairness with visiting teams. In case it is not possible to organize matches at home due to epidemic prevention procedures, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) will have to find a neutral venue for the team.

The Vietnam national team has not yet determined whether it will compete in the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in a centralized format, or at home and away. Photo: Hai Hoang

This is a big obstacle for VFF and the Vietnam National Team. After returning from the second qualifying round, they also had to be quarantined for seven days, even though they had received two doses of vaccine and tested negative upon returning.

Talking to reporters about this issue, VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh said that according to the regulations that AFC is applying for the final qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, the teams will compete in a round-robin format on home and away grounds. In case any team does not meet the organization regulations, they will have to play on a neutral ground.

"AFC will issue a match schedule with a home and away format. Teams that do not meet the organization conditions will have to choose a neutral venue. VFF will ask for opinions from competent authorities on Vietnam's organization work," said VFF General Secretary Le Hoai Anh.

According to Mr. Le Hoai Anh, VFF will prepare the best for the team. The players have made great sacrifices. VFF and VPF will work together to calculate the domestic competition system so that the team can have a good preparation time.

Home field gives the Vietnamese team a big advantage. Photo: Hai Hoang

In the UAE, Vietnam and 9 teams in Group A and G were tested immediately upon landing at the airport in Dubai. The teams then went to the hotel to quarantine for a day, waited for the results and were immediately allowed to practice normally if they tested negative.

The AFC is implementing a "safe bubble" format for its affiliated tournaments. Teams stay together in a hotel and are not allowed to leave, only moving from there to the training ground and the competition ground.

This is the first time Vietnam has reached the final qualifying round of a World Cup. The team is in Group B, scheduled to have five home matches against Australia on September 7, Japan on November 11, Saudi Arabia on November 16, China on February 1 and Oman on March 24.

The home field advantage gives Vietnam a chance to become the first Southeast Asian team to win a match in the third qualifying round. However, the VFF does not have the right to decide on quarantine, the authority belongs to the Government, the National Steering Committee for Epidemic Prevention and Control and the Ministry of Health.

VFF will also have to apply for special quarantine procedures for the team. According to the current AFC schedule, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team will play their opening match on September 2, away to Saudi Arabia. If they have to quarantine for seven days upon their return, the team will not be able to host Australia on September 7.