In its development strategy until 2035 and vision until 2045, participating in the World Cup for the first time has been set as a goal with a clear roadmap. Beyond professional development, Vietnam is also promoting the construction of World Cup-standard infrastructure, aiming for the possibility of collaborating with other Southeast Asian countries to co-host the planet's biggest sporting event. This is a legitimate aspiration, although the reality presents many challenges that are not yet easy to solve.
Because the World Cup is not just a tournament. It's a "grand show," where organizational technology is pushed to its limits, and coordination between governments and FIFA operates like a smoothly functioning machine. Each match is a multi-billion dollar commercial product, with global impact in both positive and negative ways. Compared to the Asian Cup, a tournament Vietnam has hosted and participated in regularly, the World Cup is far ahead. It would be unrealistic to assume we've learned everything. Instead, the methods and choices we make about what to learn are crucial. So, what should Vietnamese football learn from this "school" in the smartest way?
Firstly, it's a lesson in physique and fitness. Most World Cup teams today have exceptionally tall players (over 1.80m), and an average age of 28, with the majority playing for clubs in top European leagues. Of the nearly 1,300 registered players, only 4 are currently playing in Southeast Asian leagues. This shows that, even with a more open naturalization policy, we still need to find ways for Vietnamese players to play abroad. There are few exceptions.
In reality, teams that rely on "foreign talent" to qualify for the World Cup, such as Curacao, Cape Verde, or even Indonesia, which came close to securing a spot, all used players currently playing in Europe. In other words, whether or not players acquire citizenship, the most important factor is where they regularly play. If our players have limited opportunities to play abroad, then we must find ways to quickly improve the quality of the V-League.
Secondly, beyond technical expertise, there are lessons in organization. To protect the commercial value of its official partners, FIFA strictly enforces a "clean stadium" policy, meaning an unlicensed brand cannot be present in the match area. The infrastructure serving 104 matches spread across multiple cities, from team transportation and fan zone management to the experience of millions of spectators, is a curriculum for event management that no university can fully teach through direct experience.
Vietnam, with its ambition to co-host a future World Cup with Southeast Asia, should start learning the ropes now, not just after receiving FIFA's decision. We may not yet be able to reach the scale of an independent World Cup organizer, but we can certainly learn from smaller aspects: protecting television broadcasting rights, engaging in civilized commercial practices, and building a culture of non-violent, non-racist cheering.
Third, and perhaps most importantly: continuous learning to adapt to new variables. Each World Cup brings a new tactical model, a new wave of technology (VAR, semi-automatic offside detection, big data), and changes in the rules of the game.
It's time to "learn" about the World Cup from the perspective of an insider, from participation to event management. In the vision for 2045, Vietnamese football could participate in the World Cup and even co-host a tournament. Therefore, first and foremost, we must truly learn how to train a player with intelligent thinking, an organizer with modern operational skills, and a football system that learns from the best to succeed.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/bai-hoc-tu-san-choi-toan-cau-post856126.html
