2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers: Vietnam U23 team has the potential...

In their opening match of Group C in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, the Vietnam U23 team will host Bangladesh U23 at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho province ) at 7 PM today, September 3rd.

Home advantage

The 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers bring together 44 teams. The teams are drawn into 11 groups, playing a round-robin format to determine rankings. At the end of the qualifiers, the top 11 teams from each group and the four best second-placed teams, along with host nation Saudi Arabia, will participate in the final tournament.

Vòng loại Giải U23 châu Á 2026: U23 Việt Nam đủ sức thắng Bangladesh - Ảnh 1. — The Vietnam U23 team (left) is determined to win their opening match of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers (Photo: VFF).

Coach Kim Sang-sik's team was fortunate to be drawn into Group C with mid-level opponents, including U23 Bangladesh, U23 Yemen, and U23 Singapore. In this group, the U23 Vietnam team is considered the strongest contender, partly due to their higher ranking in the FIFA rankings. Furthermore, Coach Kim Sang-sik's team has a significant advantage as all Group C matches are held in Phu Tho.

In the three qualifying matches, U23 Yemen (seeded group 2) was considered a potential challenge for the host nation in the race for first place. U23 Bangladesh (seeded group 4) and U23 Singapore (seeded group 3) have not had outstanding achievements in international competitions recently, so they are not highly rated.

Despite being the first visiting team to arrive in Vietnam, and having ample time to train and acclimatize to the pitch conditions and weather, the core of the Bangladesh U23 team has relatively few quality players. The standout player in this qualifying round for the South Asian team is Cuban-born striker Mitchell – a midfielder born in 2005 with English, Jamaican, and Bangladeshi ancestry. Mitchell previously played for youth teams in England such as Birmingham and Sunderland.

In preparation for the group stage in Vietnam, Bangladesh played two friendly matches against Bahrain U23 and lost both.

Many young players with experience.

In Group C, the Vietnam U23 team aims to secure a ticket to the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship finals as the group winner. Therefore, coach Kim Sang-sik is building a team with a core group of players who won the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 Championship.

This squad includes many talented young players who have previously played for the national team and have extensive V-League experience, such as goalkeeper Tran Trung Kien, center-back Pham Ly Duc, midfielders Khuat Van Khang, Nguyen Van Truong, Nguyen Thai Son, and striker Nguyen Dinh Bac.

Coach Kim Sang-sik focuses on building strong links in the midfield, where versatile midfielders are present who can create breakthroughs when building up play.

Meanwhile, the U23 Vietnam attack consists of veteran players from the domestic league, who are key figures for their respective clubs. Among the young forwards, Đình Bắc stands out – a talented youngster who has proven his importance to both Hanoi Police FC and the Vietnamese national team recently.

Dinh Bac scored the winning goal in Hanoi Police FC's 3-2 victory over Nam Dinh in the 2024-2025 National Super Cup match in August. The 21-year-old player was also named in the starting lineup for the police team in two of the first three matches of the 2025-2026 V-League season.

The striker from Nghe An, standing 1.8m tall, plays in the center but can also perform well in an attacking role on the wing thanks to his ability to accelerate past defenders and unleash dangerous long-range shots.

Looking ahead to the journey, Dinh Bac affirmed that the entire team always respects their opponents but is also determined to achieve good results to have a smooth start and bring joy to the fans.

"We sincerely hope that fans will come to Viet Tri Stadium to cheer us on and give the whole team the strength to perform well and achieve the goal of qualifying for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Championship," Dinh Bac emphasized.

For fans, many would prefer that Coach Kim's team win with a well-organized, creative style of play and their strikers capitalize on opportunities, rather than focusing on the margin of victory!

"On the FIFA rankings, Bangladesh is ranked 184th, 71 places lower than Vietnam. Therefore, both theoretically and practically, the Vietnam U23 team is still considered the favorite."