Is the VFF's decision to field the U21 team at the 2026 Asian Games a step backward?

Is the Vietnam Football Federation's (VFF) decision to send the U21 team, instead of the U23 team with 3 overage players as stipulated in the regulations, to participate in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan a shrewd calculation?

Vietnamese football asserts its position at the SEA Games.

The reason given for sending the U21 team is to prepare for the 2027 SEA Games and, further, the dream of the 2028 Olympics. However, when considering the current state of Vietnamese football and the value of continental competitions, many questions arise: Is this a reasonable long-term strategy, or is it too great a trade-off, or even a self-limiting ambition in a more suitable arena?

We are getting closer to a medal at the Asian Games.

The Asian Games is not just a sporting event; for men's football, it's one of the highest-quality competitions in Asia, second only to the Asian Cup. In fact, when Vietnam fields a strong enough team, the opportunity to make an impact is entirely real.

The 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia is a prime example. At that time, the U23 team, having just achieved the remarkable feat of finishing as Asian runners-up, combined with three experienced players – Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Anh Duc, and Nguyen Van Quyet – led Vietnam to the semi-finals for the first time and ultimately finished fourth. This was not only a historic achievement but also a testament to the fact that Vietnamese football can dream of medals at the continental level if resources are focused at the right time.

Conversely, the use of an overly young squad at the 2022 Asian Games (held in China in 2023) presented a mixed lesson. When the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) fielded a core team of U20 players, along with very few experienced players, Vietnam, despite being seeded, was eliminated early in the group stage after defeats against Iran and Saudi Arabia. This reality demonstrates that the Asian Games are not a testing ground. A 2-3 year age difference at the youth level in Asia is a significant gap, especially when facing top football nations in East and West Asia.

In this context, continuing to use the U21 team for the 2026 Asian Games is almost tantamount to giving up the opportunity to compete for achievements. If the U23+3 team was strong enough to reach the semi-finals, then the U21 team will find it difficult to get past the group stage, let alone win a medal. This is precisely why many believe that Vietnamese football is voluntarily moving away from a competition with much higher professional value and prestige than the SEA Games.

Jumping directly from the SEA Games to the Olympics is too unrealistic.

Insiders explain that the 2026 Asian Games are merely a stepping stone to the 2027 SEA Games and, further, to the goal of qualifying for the 2028 Olympics. However, upon closer examination, this argument reveals several unconvincing points.

Vietnam reached the semi-finals of the 2018 Asian Games with its strongest team.

First, there's the story of the SEA Games. Vietnam has affirmed its position as the number one in the region with three gold medals in the last four SEA Games. In the Southeast Asian arena, Vietnam is no longer in a position of "having to prove who it is." Meanwhile, the SEA Games, in essence, is still just a regional tournament, where the professional quality cannot be compared to the Asian Games, which brings together Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Iran, or strong representatives from West Asia. Therefore, prioritizing the SEA Games to the point of sacrificing opportunities at the Asian Games becomes difficult to explain, even somewhat paradoxical, when considered in the context of the process of elevating Vietnamese football.

Further ahead is the goal of the 2028 Olympics. Ambition is commendable, but reality is harsh. Historically, even when Asia had more than three Olympic qualifying spots, Vietnam never came close to securing one. Now, with the 2028 Olympics reduced to only 12 teams, Asia only has two spots left, and to qualify, they must reach the final of the U23 Asian Championship. This almost puts Vietnam in direct competition with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Uzbekistan, and a host of West Asian teams that possess superior physical fitness, physique, and training depth.

In this context, sacrificing a major tournament like the Asian Games to "bet" on a far-fetched Olympic goal makes the VFF's strategy risky. Instead of gradually conquering achievable milestones, Vietnamese football risks missing a crucial step in its pursuit of an unattainable peak.

Having dominated the SEA Games in the region, a more logical step would have been to focus efforts on winning medals at the Asian Games, a more achievable goal with greater professional and symbolic value. Only by establishing a strong presence on the continental stage will the Olympic dream have a realistic foundation. Conversely, if Vietnamese football continues to take shortcuts by drastically rejuvenating its squad at the Asian Games, it will not only lose current opportunities but also risk disrupting the development of future generations of players.

Source: https://znews.vn/vff-dung-u21-du-asian-games-2026-la-mot-buoc-lui-post1614301.html