Vietnam U17 team dreams of a miracle at the World Cup.

At the 2026 U.17 World Cup, Vietnam's U.17 team is in Group G along with Mali, Belgium, and New Zealand. This is a challenging group, but it also presents an opportunity for coach Cristiano Roland's team to write a new chapter in history.

The "balance" of youth football.

Looking at the list of teams in Group G, many would immediately think of Belgium U17 as the most formidable force thanks to their reputation at the senior national team level. However, the history of the World Youth Championship proves the opposite. The balance of power at the U17 level is vastly different from that of their senior counterparts. While Europe and South America dominate at the senior national team level, at the U17 World Cup, African representatives are the ones making the biggest impact. Nigeria currently holds the most successful record in the tournament's history with 5 titles. Even Brazil, a country that has produced numerous football geniuses, only ranks second with 4 titles. Meanwhile, the "giants" of the Old Continent, possessing renowned academies like England, Germany, and France, have only lifted the trophy once, while Spain has never even tasted the feeling of victory.

Vietnam U.17 (left) has the opportunity to seek its first victory in the World Cup arena.

PHOTO: VFF

Being in the top seed group shows that the Mali U17 team is the toughest opponent that the Vietnam U17 team will have to face. Commentator Ta Bien Cuong remarked: "Sometimes, reputation doesn't mean anything in youth football. Mali, a team that seems unremarkable at the national team level, is a very familiar name at the U17 World Cup, having participated 8 times, culminating in a runner-up finish in 2015. In recent World Cups (at various age levels), they haven't maintained such good results. However, at the 2026 U17 World Cup, African teams, including Mali U17, will certainly be very strong in terms of physical fitness, build, and speed."

Meanwhile, the Belgian U17 team embodies elegance and modern tactical thinking with a control-oriented, high-intensity pressing style of play. Their best performance at the U17 World Cup was third place in 2015. They are a strong contender for one of the top two spots in Group G. Their remaining opponent is the New Zealand U17 team, a veteran with 12 appearances thanks to their status as the number one team in Oceania, known for their long-ball style of play based on their ideal physique.

First victory

Before Coach Roland's team secured their ticket to Qatar, Vietnamese 11-a-side football had two representatives at the world stage: the U20 team in 2017 and the Vietnamese women's national team in 2023. Despite possessing talented generations like Quang Hai and Van Hau in the U20 team, or Huynh Nhu and Chuong Thi Kieu in the women's team, Vietnam has yet to achieve a single victory or goal at this world-class level. Now, the U17 Vietnamese team has the opportunity to do just that. Coach Roland's squad carries the mission of seeking the first victory for Vietnamese football. U17 New Zealand is the ideal opponent for the U17 Vietnamese team to achieve this ambition.

The U17 New Zealand team possesses a playing style with many similarities to the U17 Australia team, an opponent that the U17 Vietnam team has faced twice in less than a month (in the semi-finals of the U17 Southeast Asian Championship and the quarter-finals of the U17 Asian Championship). Commentator Ta Bien Cuong analyzed: "Imagine that the U17 Australia and U17 New Zealand teams have many similarities, but the young players from the land of kangaroos are considered slightly better. Aiming for a victory against U17 New Zealand is feasible for U17 Vietnam. However, U17 New Zealand has extensive experience in this competition, far surpassing the newcomer U17 Vietnam." Nevertheless, the painful lessons from the two matches against U17 Australia will help the young Vietnamese warriors know what they need to do to counter U17 New Zealand.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/u17-viet-nam-mo-ve-ky-tich-tai-world-cup-185260523213413156.htm