Vietnam U17 finalizes squad for World Cup qualification.

(NLĐO) - The Vietnam U17 team has finalized its squad for the 2026 Asian Championship and departed for Saudi Arabia in the early morning of May 1st.

Coach Cristiano Roland has officially finalized the Vietnam U17 squad for the Asian Championship finals, saying goodbye to Ho Le Nguyen Chuong, Nguyen Le Quang Khoi, Phung Quang Danh, and Ta Dinh Phong.

This decision by the Portuguese coach is not surprising, because based on his personnel choices in the previous U17 Southeast Asian tournament, the exclusion of these players was somewhat predictable.

According to the regulations of the U17 Asian Championship, each team can only register a maximum of 23 players, three fewer than in the regional tournament. This forces the coaching staff to streamline the squad, including cutting one goalkeeper to strengthen personnel in other positions.

Notably, the players who were dropped haven't had many opportunities to play recently. Therefore, the final list of the Vietnam U17 team clearly reflects coach Cristiano Roland's personnel strategy for the upcoming important campaign.

The case of striker Nguyen Le Quang Khoi, son of former football legend Nguyen Quang Hai, leaves a sense of regret. Despite showing potential at youth levels such as U15 and U16, this striker hasn't been given many opportunities recently. Meanwhile, Ta Dinh Phong also had to leave the team after failing to gain the trust of the coaching staff.

With the squad finalized, the Vietnam U17 team is expected to depart from Hanoi at 2:00 AM on May 1st, transiting through Doha before continuing their journey to Jeddah. Head coach Cristiano Roland and his team will arrive at the match venue around 10:00 AM local time (2:00 PM Vietnam time) on the same day.

The 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals were scheduled to take place from May 5th to 23rd, featuring 16 teams that qualified through the preliminary rounds, divided into four groups. However, the last-minute withdrawal of the North Korean U17 team left the tournament with only 15 teams. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided not to add a replacement team and adjusted Group D to include three teams: Uzbekistan, Australia, and India.

According to the schedule, Vietnam U17 will face Yemen U17 (May 7), South Korea U17 (May 10), and UAE U17 (May 14). These are all crucial matches in the race to qualify for the quarterfinals and compete for a spot in the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026.

According to the regulations, the 8 teams that reach the quarter-finals, along with host nation Qatar, will participate in the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026. Therefore, this tournament holds special significance for Vietnamese youth football in 2026.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/u17-viet-nam-chot-danh-list-of-players-for-world-cup-196260501092658799.htm