Vietnam U23 team in an 'easy' group at the AFC U23 Asian Championship finals.
The Vietnam U23 team is preparing to enter the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Championship finals, where coach Hoang Anh Tuan's team is expected to advance beyond the group stage.
The draw for the 2024 AFC U23 Asian Championship placed Vietnam U23 in Group D alongside Uzbekistan, Kuwait, and Malaysia. The tournament format stipulates that the top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals.
Advancing from the group stage is the top priority for the Vietnam U23 team under new head coach Hoang Anh Tuan. The somewhat abrupt departure of coach Troussier from the Vietnam U23 team meant we didn't have the best preparation for the tournament. However, with the other teams in the group, the Vietnam U23 team still has the potential to progress from the group stage.
Group D is not a particularly tough group. Ignoring the "big team" Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Malaysia are both manageable opponents for the Vietnam U23 team. The Malaysia U23 team only qualified for the U23 Asian Championship finals in 4th place among the best-performing second-placed teams after the qualifying rounds.
This means that the Malaysian U23 team is the last passenger to board the ship heading to Qatar for the U23 Asian Championship finals. Compared to the reigning SEA Games champions Indonesia or China, Malaysia is the easiest opponent that the Vietnamese U23 team can consider in the fourth seeded group.
Placed in Group 3, the draw also helped the Vietnam U23 team avoid the troublesome "neighbors" Thailand and UAE. Kuwait was the last team in this seeded group and only qualified for the next round as the second-placed team in their group. They were also identified as a direct competitor for second place with the Vietnam U23 team in the AFC U23 Asian Championship finals.
The second advantage for Coach Hoang Anh Tuan and his team lies in their squad strength. Unlike the qualifying round in Phu Tho in September, the current U23 Vietnam team has accumulated considerable experience. The majority of the starting lineup are regular players in the V-League, many have been called up to the national team, and some, like Phan Tuan Tai and Nguyen Thai Son, have even started in matches during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Clearly, the Vietnam U23 team will have enough confidence to aim for qualification from the group stage, thereby continuing to dream of memorable milestones at Asia's top tournament for the U23 age group.
