On August 30th, the Vietnam U23 team will join the national team in Hanoi for training, developing tactical strategies, and preparing for the qualifying matches of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, which will take place in September 2025.
Tickets to the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship
The goal of the Vietnam U23 team is to qualify for the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik will personally review the squad and assess the professional level of each player to form the core of the Vietnam U23 team.
In the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam was chosen as the host of Group C. In this group, the Vietnam U23 team will host Bangladesh U23 (September 3), Singapore U23 (September 6), and Yemen U23 (September 9) at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ).
According to the tournament regulations, the 2026 U23 Asian Championship qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided equally into 11 groups. Each group will play a round-robin format to determine rankings, with the top 11 teams from each group and the 4 best-performing second-placed teams from the qualifying rounds advancing to the finals. To ensure stability in the squad and playing style, the core of the Vietnamese U23 team this time around will not undergo significant changes compared to their winning campaign in the 2025 U23 Southeast Asian Championship.
Mr. Kim Sang-sik only added the names of Tran Thanh Trung ( Ninh Binh Club), striker Nguyen Thanh Nhan (PVF-CAND), and goalkeeper Nguyen Tan (Ho Chi Minh City Police). Before returning to Vietnam to play in the V-League for the first time in his career, Thanh Trung played for Slavia Sofia in the Bulgarian National League, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist in a total of 31 matches in the 2024-2025 season. His impressive performance helped the midfielder born in 2005 be voted into the Top 3 Best Young Players in Bulgaria last season.
The Vietnam U23 team will assemble in Hanoi on August 30th along with the national team to prepare for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho). Photo: VFF
Thanh Trung, standing at 1.75m tall, plays as a central midfielder, excelling in both attack and defense thanks to his enduring physical fitness, agile movement, keen game reading ability, and modern attacking mindset. Having come through the CSKA Sofia youth academy and played professionally since 2013, this Vietnamese-born player is also a key player for Bulgaria's youth national teams, from U17 to U21. He was once highly regarded by Barcelona scouts as one of Europe's most promising midfielders.
However, Thanh Trung will have to demonstrate superior ability and class to compete for a spot in the starting lineup of the Vietnam U23 team. The team currently boasts many talented midfielders such as: Van Truong, Viktor Le, Thai Son, Van Khang, Xuan Bac, Cong Phuong…
Personnel testing
At the same time, the Vietnamese national team is also concentrating on preparing for the FIFA Days in September 2025. According to the schedule, the national team will participate in the next three matches in Group F of the final qualifying round for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, taking place in October and November.
The AFC Asian Cup 2027 regulations stipulate that the six teams that finish first in their respective groups in the final qualifying round will qualify for the finals. After their heavy defeat to Malaysia on June 10th, Kim Sang-sik's team has very low chances of reaching the AFC Asian Cup 2027 finals.
To advance, the Vietnamese team needs to win all remaining matches in the group stage and hope that Malaysia "slips up" against their opponents, or Kim's team must beat them by at least 5 goals in the rematch in March 2026.
In the third training camp of 2025, the Vietnamese national team features many "newcomers." Notably, veteran goalkeepers Nguyen Filip and Dang Van Lam were not called up this time. Instead, coach Kim Sang-sik has rejuvenated the goalkeeping position with Quan Van Chuan (Hanoi FC) and Nguyen Van Viet (The Cong Viettel).
Furthermore, following impressive performances in Round 1 of the V.League 2025-2026, defenders Tran Hoang Phuc (Ho Chi Minh City Police), Dinh Quang Kiet (HAGL), midfielder Ly Cong Hoang Anh (Nam Dinh), and striker Pham Gia Hung (Ninh Binh) were also given their first opportunity to join the national team under coach Kim.
Players who have recently returned from injury, such as midfielder Doan Ngoc Tan (Thanh Hoa) and defender Phan Tuan Tai (The Cong Viettel), are also participating this time.
During their training period at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center (Hanoi), the Vietnamese national team, led by acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh, will have two friendly matches against Hanoi Police Club (September 4th) and Nam Dinh Club (September 7th).
On the FIFA rankings, the Vietnam U23 team is ranked higher than their opponents in the same group, making them a top contender for a spot in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/co-hoi-cho-nhung-nhan-to-moi-196250826220703889.htm
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