Vietnam U17 continues its World Cup football story - Photo: AFC
Before coach Cristiano Roland led the Vietnam U17 team to the 2026 World Cup in Qatar, Vietnamese football had participated four times: the 2016 Futsal World Cup in Colombia and the 2021 Futsal World Cup in Lithuania, the 2017 U20 World Cup in South Korea, and the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The first World Cup ticket
In 2016, coach Bruno Garcia Formoso led the Vietnamese futsal team to qualify for the men's futsal World Cup. That was the first time a Vietnamese football team had participated in the World Cup.
The Vietnamese futsal team participated in the Asian Futsal Championship in Uzbekistan and reached the semi-finals. Vietnam's historic victory came when they defeated Japan in the quarter-finals via penalty shootout, securing their place among the top four teams in the tournament. This victory allowed Bruno's team to eliminate Japan and earn a spot in Colombia.
This event gave a huge boost to futsal in particular and Vietnamese football in general. At that time, there were very few World Cup qualification spots in Asia, and the league didn't have many teams.
Building on the success of their first appearance, in 2021, Vietnamese futsal received further systematic investment and participated in the Futsal World Cup in Lithuania for the second time. This time, Coach Pham Minh Giang became the first Vietnamese coach to lead the Vietnamese futsal team to the World Cup amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Vietnamese futsal team had to play a play-off match against Lebanon over two legs. After a 0-0 and a 1-1 draw, Vietnam secured a "wildcard" spot at the World Cup thanks to the away goals rule. In both of their appearances at the Futsal World Cup, the Vietnamese team advanced from the group stage but lost in the round of 16.
Vietnam's futsal team has participated in the World Cup twice, in 2016 and 2021 - Photo: AFC
The first World Cup for 11-a-side football.
In 2016, coach Hoang Anh Tuan led the Vietnam U19 team to the U19 Asian Championship in Bahrain. They were in the same group as Iraq, UAE, and North Korea. Vietnam unexpectedly advanced through the group stage and faced host nation Bahrain in the quarterfinals. That match also secured their place in the 2017 U20 World Cup.
Striker Tran Thanh's header in extra time became the only goal, sending the Vietnam U19 team into the semi-finals and securing a ticket to South Korea the following year. This marked the first time a national 11-a-side football team had qualified for the World Cup. It took place in the same year, 2016.
At the 2017 U20 World Cup, the Vietnam U20 team was in the same group as France, Honduras, and New Zealand. They achieved a historic points total with a 0-0 draw against New Zealand and were eliminated in the group stage. However, the tournament produced a generation of players like Quang Hai, Hoang Duc, and Tien Linh.
Vietnam women's football team will participate in the 2023 World Cup - Photo: TTO
Women's football marks the start of the World Cup.
In 2023, it was the turn of the women's team to venture onto the big stage of the World Cup. The Vietnamese women's national football team, under the leadership of coach Mai Duc Chung, displayed remarkable resilience at the 2022 Asian Cup in India. Despite many players contracting COVID-19, the Vietnamese women's team still reached the play-off round.
The Vietnamese women's team won against Thailand (2-0) and Chinese Taipei (2-1) to qualify for the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. This achievement created a huge buzz, affirming the position of Vietnamese women's football in the region and making an impression on the world .
After participating in the World Cup four times, Vietnam continued its World Cup journey with a fifth appearance when the Vietnam U17 team defeated the UAE U17 team in the early hours of May 14th. With the expanded format of 48 teams and 9 qualifying spots (including host Qatar), the Youth World Cup will now be closer to Vietnam as it will be held annually.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-da-viet-nam-lan-thu-5-du-world-cup-20260514130251373.htm
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