Vietnam team 'concedes the field', giving top priority to U23

U23 Vietnam focuses on the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers. Photo: Hai Ho .

After the 3rd round of V.League 2025/26 ended, both the Vietnam national team and the U23 national team gathered. However, while the U23 Vietnam team focused all their efforts on the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers, the national team did not participate in any international friendly matches. Instead, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team only had private friendly matches with Nam Dinh and CAHN to review their squad.

Priority of Vietnamese football

According to expert Doan Minh Xuong, this decision clearly reflects the priority of Vietnamese football in the current period. "We do not focus on friendly results for the national team, but want to give the best preparation for U23 Vietnam, with the specific goal of passing the continental qualifiers, preparing for the SEA Games at the end of the year," he shared with Tri Thuc - Znews .

In fact, during the June gathering, the Vietnamese team did not play international friendlies but only played internal training matches with U22 Vietnam. This time, the Vietnamese team refused to participate in the King's Cup - a tournament that has just been recognized by FIFA and is considered a category A tournament. Not playing international friendlies has caused the Vietnamese team to miss the opportunity to improve its ranking on the FIFA rankings, while regional opponents are actively looking for international "green troops".

Vietnam team will not play international friendly matches during FIFA Days in September. Photo: Hai Ho.

Vietnam's national team was eliminated early in the 2nd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. In early June, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team lost 0-4 to Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round. According to expert Doan Minh Xuong, this loss has reduced Vietnam's chances of advancing. Moreover, the team is currently in a transition period.

Many key players are past their prime, while the next generation of players still need time to accumulate experience. Therefore, participating in international friendly matches at this time, according to Mr. Xuong, "may not bring great professional value, and may even pose risks if the team is not stable."

On the contrary, U23 Vietnam is shouldering a more important goal. They are not only competing in the U23 Asian qualifiers but also preparing for the SEA Games at the end of the year and further, the U23 Asian Finals next year.

The achievements of U23 Vietnam will determine the depth of the national team in the next 3-4 years. "If we want the Vietnamese team to become stronger, we must have a solid U23 generation that can compete continuously in international tournaments. Investing in the U23 team now is an investment for the future," expert Doan Minh Xuong emphasized.

In addition, Vietnamese football is facing a long-term force problem. After a successful period with Quang Hai, Cong Phuong, Van Hau, the gap in the next generation is gradually becoming apparent.

The 2023 SEA Games or the previous 2024 AFC U23 qualifiers showed that Vietnam U23 is not really stable. Therefore, devoting the best resources to this generation of players is considered a mandatory preparation step if Vietnamese football wants to return to a competitive position on the continent.

The foundation of the national team depends directly on the quality of youth training and the international performance of the U23 team. If the current U23 team accumulates enough experience, they will become the backbone of the Vietnamese team in the long-term goal of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup.

Coach Kim Sang-sik prioritizes U23 Vietnam in this gathering. Photo: Hai Ho.

Reasonable move of Vietnamese football

Expert Doan Minh Xuong commented that the plan of VFF and coach Kim Sang-sik for this training session can be considered reasonable. The Vietnam team accepts to take a step back, focusing on perfecting the squad, while the U23 team is given maximum priority in terms of competition schedule and preparation conditions.

Vietnamese football needs a long-term view. The success of the national team must come from systematic investment in the youth.

“The long-term goal of Vietnamese football is to qualify for the third qualifying round of the 2030 World Cup. To have a strong national team to play in the World Cup qualifiers, the squad must be trained through youth tournaments such as the U23 Asia and SEA Games. By 2028, the players of the U23 Vietnam team will be mature enough to carry the team. By then, the current core group such as Tien Linh, Duy Manh, Quang Hai, Hoang Duc and Tuan Hai will have all passed their peak. To have a successor, we must now invest in the U23 team,” he emphasized.

In the coming time, the Vietnam team is expected to have international friendly matches when the force is more stable, aiming for the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers. But at present, all focus is on the U23 Vietnam - who are expected to open a new cycle of success for the country's football.

Source: https://znews.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-nhuong-san-uu-tien-toi-da-cho-u23-post1579268.html