The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has assigned a historic task to the Vietnam U23 team: Aiming for the 2030 World Cup.
VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan has urged the entire team to put aside the glory of the SEA Games 33 and focus entirely on the 2026 U23 Asian Championship, viewing it as an important stepping stone towards the 2030 World Cup goal.
Strategic vision for Vietnamese football
On the afternoon of December 24th, the President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), Tran Quoc Tuan, met with and encouraged the Vietnam U23 team before their departure to Qatar for training. During the meeting, he assigned a strategic and long-term task: to build the current U23 squad into a core team capable of competing for a spot in the 2030 World Cup Finals.
Setting aside glory, facing a greater challenge.
Despite the team having just won the Gold Medal at the 33rd SEA Games, the VFF President emphasized that that glory needs to be put aside for now. He pointed out that the 2026 AFC U23 Championship is a much higher-level and more challenging competition, requiring exceptional focus and effort.
The challenge facing the Vietnam U23 team is immense, as they are in Group A, considered the "group of death," alongside host nation Saudi Arabia, Jordan U23, and Kyrgyzstan U23. Coach Tuan sees this as a valuable opportunity for the young players to gain experience and hone their skills at the highest level of continental football.
The foundation for the World Cup dream.
The core message that the VFF President wants to convey is the importance of the current U23 players. He affirmed that this generation is being invested in to become the key force in the campaign to qualify for the 2030 World Cup. Therefore, discipline, professionalism, and high concentration are factors that must be prioritized from this moment on.
To achieve this goal, the VFF (Vietnam Football Federation) is committed to creating all favorable conditions and investing comprehensively. First, the team will have a training camp in Qatar, including a friendly match against U23 Syria to assess the squad and refine tactics. Afterwards, the entire team will travel to Saudi Arabia to begin their journey in the U23 Asian Championship, with their opening match against U23 Jordan on January 6th.
