The road to the World Cup is still very long.

However, it's important to recognize that this is still only a success at the youth level, while the ultimate goal for Vietnamese football is always the national team and the dream of the World Cup – where the standards are much more stringent.

Vietnam U23 team made a strong impression at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship. *Photo: VFF*

Success in youth tournaments does not automatically translate into national team achievements.

Vietnamese football history has witnessed many generations of young players achieving brilliant success, but not all have been able to maintain their form and position when reaching the pinnacle of the national team. The U23 team that won the Asian Championship runner-up title in 2018 in Changzhou is a prime example. Eight years after that historic achievement, many of the once-promising players are now struggling with injuries, declining form, or no longer holding important roles at their clubs, leading to their exclusion from the national team. This shows that glory at the youth level is not a guaranteed ticket to a long-term future.

Therefore, the current success of the Vietnam U23 team should be seen as a stepping stone, not the destination. The path from the U23 team to the national team is an extremely rigorous selection process. Only players with the best character, physical fitness, tactical thinking, and consistency will be able to remain.

Clearly, the competitive environment in the national team is extremely intense. Here, competition comes not only from teammates of the same age group, but also from experienced players and new talents, including players of Vietnamese descent living abroad and naturalized players. This explains why many players who shine at the youth level are not called up to the national team. Even when called up, some players cannot compete for a position with more experienced players.

Football expert Phan Anh Tú once explained that playing in a youth team only involves players of the same age or younger. This allows many players to confidently showcase their abilities. But when training and competing in the national team, things are completely different. Just having to compete for a position with more experienced players is fierce, demanding that players be truly outstanding.

Coach Kim Sang-sik understands this well. Following consecutive successes over the past two years with the Vietnam U23 team, he asserted that many U23 players will have the opportunity to wear the Vietnam national team jersey in the match against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers next March. However, competition also comes, and that is an inevitable reality that every player must face.

Waiting for a World Cup ticket

Coach Kim Sang-sik and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) are also considering a long-term plan for the current U23 players, aiming for World Cup participation. “I and the VFF have jointly developed a long-term plan for the future of the Vietnamese national team, aiming for World Cup participation. Success at this year's tournament has boosted the players' confidence. I expect some players to go abroad to play in higher-quality leagues, thereby creating a foundation for Vietnamese football to progress further,” the South Korean coach emphasized.

However, as football expert Doan Minh Xuong analyzed, the success of the Vietnam U23 team needs to be considered in the right context. According to him, Vietnamese football currently possesses a mature U23 generation with a tenacious fighting spirit, seasoned experience, and cohesive playing style. Nevertheless, it's important to recognize that this is still a youth tournament at the continental level. "A third-place finish at the U23 Asian Championship does not mean that the Vietnamese national team can achieve a similar ranking at the senior national team level," emphasized expert Doan Minh Xuong.

A comparison with top Asian football nations clearly shows the difference. The Japanese U23 team, with many players only under 21 years old, was still able to easily defeat the Chinese U23 team in the 2026 Asian U23 Championship final. This reflects a superior level of skill and squad depth – an area where Vietnamese football is still in the process of development.

According to football expert Phan Anh Tú, the biggest hope after the 2026 U23 Asian Championship is that many U23 players will be promoted to the national team in 2026. This is the way to renew and elevate the Vietnamese national team for a new cycle, aiming for further progress in the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.

But to achieve that, synchronized coordination between the VFF and the clubs is key. Fortunately, this has been evident recently, providing youth teams with a source of high-quality players to choose from.

The U23 Vietnam team's success at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship has brought renewed hope to Vietnamese football. However, to turn that hope into reality at the World Cup, where qualification is the first step, the road ahead remains long and challenging. Today's success is the foundation, not the peak. Only when the VFF, clubs, and players continue to look in the same direction can Vietnamese football make steady progress on its journey to conquering bigger dreams.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/duong-den-world-cup-van-rat-dai-732120.html