Van Thuan (10) is one of the 5 names of Vietnam U.23 who are still in the U.21 age group.
Photo: Ted Tran
The Vietnam U23 team will gather in March.
After the Vietnam U23 team returned home from Saudi Arabia with a bronze medal from the 2026 AFC U23 Championship, rumors surfaced that the Chinese Football Association (CFA) wanted to invite coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to participate in a training tournament in their country.
Specifically, the CFA is said to have invited the U23 teams of Vietnam, Thailand, and Uzbekistan for a friendly tournament in March, seen as a warm-up for the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Japan from the second half of September.
However, it seems the scenario has now changed, as the Vietnam U23 team will no longer be included in the squad for the invitational tournament in China.
Cao Văn Bình played brilliantly, helping Vietnam U.23 defeat South Korea U.23 to win the bronze medal.
Photo: AFC
It's highly likely that BTC wants to find a new opponent after so many consecutive clashes since 2024 that they've become completely familiar with each other.
Of course, if this happens, the VFF and coach Kim Sang-sik will have to adjust their preparation plans. The only thing that remains unchanged is that the VFF wants to take advantage of the FIFA Days break in March to simultaneously carry out two tasks with the Vietnamese national team and the U23 Vietnamese team.
Opening a new cycle
Specifically, the Vietnamese national team will have a friendly match against Bangladesh on March 26th, before hosting Malaysia at Thien Truong Stadium in the final match of Group F in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.
Coach Kim Sang-sik is preparing for a new cycle for the Vietnam U23 team.
Photo: Nhat Thinh
At the same time, the Vietnam U23 team will gather at the VFF headquarters and may play one or two friendly matches against professional teams in the capital and surrounding areas such as Hanoi FC, The Cong Viettel, CAHN FC, or PVF-CAND…
Notably, the Vietnamese U.23 team will consist of players from the U.21 age group who will represent Vietnam at the 2026 ASIAD, which will officially take place from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi Prefecture (Japan), and will most likely be led by interim coach Dinh Hong Vinh.
It is known that among the U.23 Vietnam team that won the bronze medal at the AFC U.23 Asian Championship, there are 7 names from the U.21 age group who may be included in the upcoming training camp, including goalkeeper Cao Van Binh (2005) and Pham Dinh Hai (2006), midfielders Nguyen Cong Phuong and Le Van Thuan (2006), and striker Nguyen Le Phat (2007).
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nong-u23-viet-nam-co-the-khong-du-giai-moi-trung-quoc-ong-kim-dieu-chinh-185260209105334988.htm
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