Does the Vietnam U17 team have enough strength to qualify for the 2030 or 2034 World Cup?

The Vietnam U17 team has just brilliantly defeated UAE 3-2 to become the only representative from Southeast Asia to qualify for the 2026 U17 World Cup.

Vietnam U17 outplayed UAE.

This impressive result, following last month's regional championship, has brought immense hope to fans nationwide. However, after these moments of triumph, a long-term question arises: will these young talents continue to develop in the right direction to become pillars of the national team, thereby realizing the dream of participating in the 2030 or 2034 World Cup finals?

Lessons from generations left unfinished.

The reality of football development, both domestically and internationally, consistently shows that the line between a young phenomenon and a mature star is incredibly thin. Fans have witnessed countless players shine brightly at the U17, U20, or U23 levels, receiving enthusiastic acclaim, only to later stagnate and gradually fade into obscurity.

It's important to remember that the current generation of players is not the first U16/U17 generation to receive such high expectations. Back in 2000 in Da Nang , names like Van Quyen, Nhu Thuat, Minh Duc, and Lam Tan thrilled millions of viewers when they defeated China 3-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Championship.

Most members of that talented generation went on to play professionally. Van Quyen even became the heart and soul of the national team shortly after. However, Vietnamese football at that time had yet to win a SEA Games gold medal or an AFF Cup, let alone compete in continental-level tournaments.

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In subsequent stages, the Vietnamese U15, U16, and U17 youth teams also won the Southeast Asian championship several times in 2006, 2010, and 2017. However, the number of players capable of becoming key players in the national team and creating a significant boost for Vietnamese football remains small.

The core reason for the breakdown of Vietnamese football in the past was its haphazard approach. Young talents showed promising qualities at the age of 16 or 17, but then lacked proper nurturing and a scientific training environment. Instead, premature praise and numerous off-field pitfalls led many players to miss out on peak careers.

Overcoming the disconnect to aim for the big stage.

Fortunately, since the last decade, along with the rise of the economy , clubs have built increasingly professional training systems and programs. These changes have helped young players overcome gaps and develop sustainably on their path to becoming professional players.

For example, the U15 Vietnam team that won the Southeast Asian Championship in 2017 included Khuất Văn Khang. Through hard work and good guidance, Văn Khang later captained the U23 Vietnam team, contributing to their victory at the 2025 SEA Games and a bronze medal at the 2026 U23 Asian Championship. He is also a young player who is regularly called up to the national team to compete in major tournaments.

Nevertheless, the number of players who manage to overcome the harsh transition period and remain at the top level is still quite modest. This reality reflects a significant gap in the continuous training and succession planning of Vietnamese football.

This is also why the generation that qualified for the 2017 U20 World Cup or the Changzhou generation could only go as far as the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup and the third round of World Cup qualifiers. Only when we thoroughly address the gap between potential players and professional players, from youth teams to the national team, will we have a solid foundation to dream of competing on the world stage.

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Looking back over this decade, thankfully, Vietnamese football has become increasingly professional, from infrastructure to training, giving fans every right to expect a brighter future. Promising talents like Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc, Nguyen Hiep Dai Viet Nam, Dao Quy Vuong, Le Trong Dai Nhan, Nguyen Van Duong, and Le Sy Bach deserve the most systematic investment.

If properly guided and honed, this generation of young players could absolutely become the generation that brings Vietnamese football closer to the World Cup dream that the Changzhou generation failed to achieve. But if we continue to repeat the old mistakes in developing young players, we may very well witness another generation of talented players fading away prematurely, like the story of Van Quyen years ago.

Source: https://znews.vn/u17-viet-nam-co-du-luc-de-du-world-cup-2030-hay-2034-post1651416.html