Latest U.23 Vietnam match schedule: Great playing time, very suitable opponent

From now until the end of the year, the Vietnam U.23 team has two more important tournaments: the 2026 U.23 Asian qualifiers and the 33rd SEA Games. The U.23 Asian qualifiers will begin in early September.

U.23 Vietnam is the strongest in Group C of the U.23 Asian Cup qualifiers

In the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, the Vietnam U23 team is in Group C with Yemen, Singapore and Bangladesh. Coach Kim Sang-sik's team is also the leader of this group. All matches of Group C will take place at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ), from September 3 to 9.

U.23 Vietnam is the strongest team in Group C of the qualifying round.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

In theory, in Group C, the strongest opponent of the U.23 Vietnam team is U.23 Yemen. This is a team from the West Asian region, with a physical advantage over the Vietnamese players. However, because Yemeni football has rarely appeared in the final rounds of continental tournaments recently, they only have a modest ranking on the FIFA rankings (156, 43 places lower than the Vietnam team). Therefore, U.23 Yemen is not an insurmountable barrier for U.23 Vietnam.

Our two remaining opponents in Group C, U.23 Singapore and U.23 Bangladesh, are weak opponents. Bangladeshi football has hardly made a splash internationally. Meanwhile, U.23 Singapore did not have enough players to participate in the U.23 Southeast Asian tournament in July, so it can be said that the quality of the young team from the Lion Island is not high.

High performance of Vietnamese players

According to the regulations of the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers, the top teams in the group will go straight to the final round. The second-placed teams will compete for 4 play-off tickets for the 4 second-placed teams with the best qualifying results (there are a total of 11 qualifying groups). The Vietnam U-23 team is capable of winning the top spot in Group C, to get a direct ticket to the final round.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's players are in good form and good spirit.

Photo: Dong Nguyen Khang

The U.23 Vietnam players are in good form and good spirits after winning the U.23 Southeast Asian Championship less than a month ago. In addition, after the first 3 rounds of the V-League 2025-2026, the U.23 Vietnam players will have the opportunity to maintain this form, before participating in the qualifying round of the U.23 Asian tournament.

It is expected that after round 3 of V-League, U.23 Vietnam will gather from August 30, the whole team will have 4 days to prepare before the qualifying round of the U.23 continental tournament. According to the schedule, coach Kim Sang-sik's team will face Bangladesh on September 3, Singapore on September 6, then Yemen on September 9.

After completing the U.23 Asian qualifiers, the U.23 Vietnam players will return to their respective clubs to participate in the V-League 2025-2026. Then, around November, the entire team will focus on preparing for the 33rd SEA Games, taking place in December in Thailand.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-u23-viet-nam-moi-nhat-gio-ra-san-cuc-dinh-doi-thu-rat-vua-tam-185250818121705565.htm