On October 1, the 2023 AFF Annual Congress took place in Ho Chi Minh City. At the event, AFF President Khiev Sameth affirmed that the Vietnamese team is capable of participating in the 2026 World Cup.
"In recent times, Vietnamese football has achieved impressive results and has always shown itself to be the leading flag of Southeast Asian football in the international arena, especially the Vietnamese women's team winning the right to compete in the 2023 World Cup.
That shows that VFF has the right strategy and direction in football management, operation and development. I know the Vietnamese team is aiming for the 2026 World Cup. Personally, I really hope the Vietnamese team will participate in the 2026 World Cup and I believe you will achieve your goal," said Mr. Sameth.
AFF President Khiev Sameth and VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan (right)
Vietnam is in the same group as Iraq, the Philippines and the winner of the first round match between Indonesia and Brunei in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Coach Philippe Troussier's team will visit the Philippines before returning to My Dinh Stadium to face Iraq in the first two matches in November.
The 2026 World Cup will expand to 48 places, including 8.5 places (8 direct places and 1 play-off place) for Asian teams. The Vietnamese team's immediate goal is to participate in the third qualifying round, then depending on the draw situation, further calculations will be made.
Tomorrow (October 2), the Vietnamese team will gather at the Youth Football Training Center, before leaving for three important friendly matches, against China (October 10), Uzbekistan (October 13) and South Korea (October 17).
On the sidelines of the AFF Annual Congress, AFF President Sameth added: "AFF respects and appreciates the role of VFF in the overall development of Southeast Asian football. These changes have included the active and dynamic contributions of VFF, especially VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan.
With his passion, experience and relationships, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan and other members of the Southeast Asian football family have actively brought the image of regional football to the international arena. In addition, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan often makes very practical contributions to strengthen the Southeast Asian football competition system. These positive changes have impacted the achievements of regional football.
AFF is very happy to witness the progress of Vietnamese football through each stage. With the cooperation of members of the Vietnamese football family, we believe that Vietnamese football will make stronger progress. The success of Vietnamese football is also the common pride of Southeast Asian football."
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