How strong will the Vietnamese national team be in 2026?

With a series of quality additions from naturalized foreign players and overseas Vietnamese, the Vietnamese national team will become even stronger in 2026.

Vietnamese-born goalkeeper Partrik Lê Giang in the colors of Ho Chi Minh City Police FC - Photo: CAHCMFC

In 2026, the Vietnamese national team will have an important match against Malaysia in the second leg of the final qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup on March 31st and will also compete in the 2026 ASEAN Cup, which kicks off in July.

The good news is that with the current resources, the Vietnamese national team can confidently qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals and successfully defend their ASEAN Cup title.

The "backbone" of foreign players

Never before has the Vietnamese national team had such a wealth of quality naturalized foreign players and overseas Vietnamese players as it does now. More importantly, this pool of foreign players forms a solid "backbone" extending from the goalkeeper position all the way to the center forward.

The fact that Vietnamese-Slovakian goalkeeper Patrik Le Giang obtained Vietnamese citizenship at the end of January has made the competition for the number one goalkeeper position in the Vietnamese national team even more intense.

Coach Kim Sang Sik already has two Vietnamese-born goalkeepers, Dang Van Lam (Russia) and Nguyen Filip (Czech Republic), and now he has Patrik Le Giang, who is in even better form. Not to mention the impressive rise of 23-year-old goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien (1.92m), who is also a formidable threat.

Naturalized striker Do Hoang Hen (left) is in excellent form playing for Hanoi FC - Photo: VPF

The defense, a strong point of the Vietnamese national team under coach Kim Sang Sik, is now even more solid with the addition of naturalized center-back Do Phi Long (Gustavo Santos), who will receive Vietnamese citizenship at the end of 2025. Standing at 1.95m tall, this Brazilian-born player will further enhance the Vietnamese team's effectiveness in defending against aerial balls.

Further up the field, another brand-new naturalized midfielder, Do Hoang Hen, is also a noteworthy addition. This Brazilian player received Vietnamese citizenship in October 2025, but is not yet eligible to play for the Vietnamese national team during the FIFA Days in November because he has not yet resided in Vietnam for five years.

Do Hoang Hen can play both as an attacking midfielder and a winger, giving coach Kim Sang Sik even more attacking options. In particular, Hoang Hen's understanding with naturalized striker Nguyen Xuan Son makes the Vietnamese national team's attack even more dangerous.

Ho Tan Tai (77) celebrates a goal for Becamex Ho Chi Minh City Club in round 13 of V-League 2025-2026 - Photo: VPF

Reaching continental heights

Besides the two impressive foreign players, naturalized center-back Do Phi Long and Vietnamese-French defender Jason Quang Vinh, the Vietnamese national team's defense also promises to have another naturalized center-back in 2026, Janclesio Almeida.

Standing at 1.96m tall, this Brazilian-born center-back, upon acquiring Vietnamese citizenship, will further strengthen the Vietnamese national team's defense, enabling them to compete effectively on the continental stage.

In addition, the Vietnamese national team's attack is also expected to have another naturalized striker in 2026, Geovane Magno (Brazil).

Both Janclesio and Geovane were recommended by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to the Ministry of Justice for assistance in the naturalization process, as requested by coach Kim Sang Sik in late September 2025.

If both players manage to obtain Vietnamese citizenship just before the match against Malaysia, the Vietnamese national team will have nine quality foreign and overseas Vietnamese players in its squad.

At that point, coach Kim Sang Sik's team could have played with three naturalized forwards and could have completely overturned the 0-4 defeat in the first leg, without having to wait for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) penalty imposed on Malaysia for cheating in the use of naturalized players.

Dinh Bac is a promising U23 star for the Vietnamese national team in 2026 - Photo: AFC

The Vietnamese national team is something to look forward to.

Besides the quality additions from naturalized players and overseas Vietnamese, the Vietnamese national team in 2026 is also something to look forward to thanks to its domestic player resources.

The return of defender Doan Van Hau after a long period of injury will give coach Kim Sang Sik another "headache" on the left flank.

Because the South Korean coach already has Nguyen Van Vi, Jason Quang Vinh, and the U23 duo Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Phi Hoang who are performing just as well.

On the right flank, the return of defender Ho Tan Tai from injury also gives coach Kim more confidence in delivering high balls into the penalty area, alongside Truong Tien Anh and U23 national team player Pham Minh Phuc.

Tan Tai is not only strong in tackles and accurate in delivering crosses, but he also knows how to score from long-range shots. The goal that this 1.8m tall defender scored from outside the penalty area against PVF-CAND in Round 13 of the V-League 2025-2026 for Becamex Ho Chi Minh City FC is a clear example.

In addition, the U23 players who just won third place at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship also promise to create new momentum for the Vietnamese national team in 2026.

Dinh Bac's absence from two matches for the Vietnamese national team due to a red card at the 2026 U23 Asian Championship is regrettable, especially considering his impressive form. However, the future of the Vietnamese national team's attack certainly lies with this young striker if he continues to maintain his talent.

Winning the ASEAN Cup 2026 could be a stepping stone for the new version of the Vietnamese national team to achieve even greater success in continental competitions in the coming years.

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NGUYEN KHOI

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-se-manh-the-nao-trong-nam-2026-20260216152058157.htm