More playing opportunities for young players.

At the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals, the young Vietnamese players performed quite well, except for the match against the Chinese U23 team. In that match, the audience could hardly recognize the team that had won all their group stage matches and played very well against the UAE U23 team in the quarterfinals.

When evaluating the 0-3 defeat against China U23, while many reasons were cited, most opinions emphasized the losses in the defense, as two of the three central defenders, Xiaoming and Li De, had to leave the field early – one due to injury and the other a red card. The central defenders who came on as replacements did not perform as well as Xiaoming and Li De, partly because they had been benched from the beginning of the tournament until they were reluctantly brought on as substitutes in this match.

This is just a small example illustrating the importance of regular playing time for young players. In top European football leagues, many 18-19 year old players regularly feature in the first team, even becoming key players. When the senior teams qualify for European competitions, players from the club's second-string teams get to play in youth league matches – often before the first-team games. This is in addition to the well-organized tournaments for U15, U17, U19, and U21 teams, and the consistent youth development programs maintained by top professional clubs. Therefore, young players have many opportunities to play, develop quickly both professionally and gain match experience; and national teams have a rich source of players.

In Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, opportunities for young players to compete are limited. Due to limited funding, incomplete youth development strategies, and the inability of all clubs to maintain youth teams, organizing regular tournaments for B teams is not feasible. The lack of playing time, not only due to the scarcity of youth leagues but also because of competition with foreign players in club lineups, prevents young players from fully developing their potential.

In the aforementioned context, the Vietnam Football Federation's tightening of licensing regulations, requiring V.League teams to have proper youth training systems and participate fully in national youth tournaments, is considered a necessary step in the strategy for developing youth football. Furthermore, support should be given to the idea of ​​organizing a "mini V.League" for the youth teams of top professional clubs, as well as improving the organization of national youth tournaments.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/them-co-hoi-thi-dau-cho-cau-thu-tre-731953.html