As the host of Group C, U17 Vietnam had a smooth start in the 2026 AFC U17 Championship qualifiers with a resounding 6-0 victory over U17 Singapore. In the next match, U17 Vietnam had a big win over U17 Northern Mariana Islands. This result helped coach Cristiano Roland and his team temporarily maintain the top spot in the group.
After the opening match, coach Cristiano Roland said: “I am satisfied with the result as well as the performance of the team. We achieved the target of 3 points in the opening match, and the important thing is that the U17 Vietnam team entered the match in a good state, maintaining that state for 90 minutes. I think that is very important for young players. They did well, but we need to continue to look forward to the next match.
Today, the first thing I thought was that the young players would have some mistakes, but that's normal. Of course we are prepared for such situations, and the team must learn from them. U17 Vietnam deserved 3 points. We feel much more confident after this match."
In the second match, despite the big win over the opponent, Cristiano Roland was still quite calm. He said: “The players maintained discipline and tactics exactly as the team prepared for this match. The team has achieved its goal and now it is time to think about the next match. I talked to the players in the locker room. I am really happy with the way the players tried until the last minutes. Manh Quan was one of the factors that contributed to this victory.”
In the next match, U17 Vietnam will face Hong Kong (China). Coach Roland said: "It will be a difficult match. Every match is a final. We will continue to analyze and evaluate the players to aim for victory." The goal of U17 Vietnam is to win the third match at home to aim for the qualifying round.
In the 2026 AFC U17 qualifiers, Vietnam U17 will face Malaysia U17, Singapore U17, Hong Kong U17 (China), Macau U17 (China) and Northern Mariana Islands U17. One of the remaining strong opponents is Malaysia U17.
Vietnam U17 has the advantage of playing at home. Coach Cristiano Roland and his team said that the team has had a positive preparation process, in which the training trip to Japan - facilitated by the Vietnam Football Federation - brought many valuable experiences for the young players. Mr. Roland said that the whole team is in good spirits, fully focused on the opening match, and at the same time set the goal of passing the group stage to participate in the 2026 AFC U17 Finals.
The U17 Vietnam squad has many players who participated in the U17 Asian Cup Finals last year and are eager to return to this arena. Playing 5 matches in 10 days requires effective recovery and rotation of players. We have had 2 big wins, now it is time to consider the next opponents.
The 2026 AFC U17 Championship qualifiers will apply a new format: 38 teams will be divided into 7 groups (3 groups of 6 teams, 4 groups of 5 teams). The top 7 teams in each group will qualify for the final round. In addition, 9 teams will be automatically qualified, including host Qatar (host of the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup) and 8 teams that have qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2025 AFC U17 Championship: Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Tajikistan, Japan, the UAE and Indonesia.
At 7:00 p.m. on November 26, U17 Vietnam will face Hong Kong (China).
Vietnam sports delegation prepares for the departure ceremony
Preparations for the Departure Ceremony of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation to the 33rd SEA Games are nearing completion, with the Department of High Performance Sports, the Vietnam Olympic Committee and relevant units implementing the work synchronously.
This event marks the time when national teams are ready to enter the journey to compete in the largest arena in the region, adding motivation to athletes before the important task.
Accordingly, the Departure Ceremony is scheduled to take place from 3:00 p.m. on November 28 at the International Convention Center ( Hanoi ). To ensure solemnity and effectiveness, the Vietnam Sports Administration has promptly established working groups in charge of each area of work, closely coordinating with professional departments, media units and sponsors to review the entire preparation process.
The ceremony program was carefully constructed to highlight the spirit of solidarity, the tradition of resilient competition and the determination to conquer new achievements of athletes and coaches in 2025. The contents of the ceremony such as team arrangement, list of delegates and guests were agreed upon in the latest meetings at the Department of Physical Education and Sports.
Meanwhile, the technical and logistical systems, from sound and lighting to security and medical, are also being completed and will be checked and tested before the event to ensure safety. The representative athletes participating in the ceremony are selected by the National High-Level Athlete Training Center according to regulations. Media activities surrounding the event are also being promoted to create an exciting atmosphere and spread the spirit of the SEA Games. ( HH )
Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/dau-an-dau-tien-cua-u17-viet-nam-o-vong-loai-u17-chau-a-i789244/
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