Young goalkeeper Nguyễn Văn Việt of Sông Lam Nghệ An has been called up to the national squad. Photo SLNA FC

Football

HÀ NỘI —  Head coach Philippe Troussier is continuing to provide opportunities to many talented young players during the FIFA Days in October.

This strategic move is part of plans to strengthen the team for the second qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Asia.

Out of the 33 players selected by the French coach for the focus list, almost half of them belong to the U23 age group. Among these young players are notable names such as goalkeeper Nguyễn Văn Việt, defenders Lương Duy Cương, Phan Tuấn Tài, Hồ Văn Cường, midfielders Khuất Văn Khang, Hoàng Văn Toản, Giáp Tuấn Dương, and strikers Nguyễn Văn Tùng, Bùi Vĩ Hào, and Nguyễn Thanh Nhàn.

Continuing to provide young players with opportunities not only ensures their ongoing development but also fosters healthy competition within the team and establishes stability in pursuit of key goals in the coming years. The distribution of young players across different positions helps maintain balance in the team.

However, the mainstay of the national team will still consist of experienced players who are currently in good form. This includes goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm, defenders Quế Ngọc Hải, Hồ Tấn Tài, Đoàn Văn Hậu, midfielders Nguyễn Hoàng Đức, Nguyễn Quang Hải, Đỗ Hùng Dũng, and strikers Phạm Tuấn Hải, Nguyễn Tiến Linh, Nguyễn Văn Toàn.

According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will begin their training camp on October 2 at the Việt Nam Youth Football Training Centre. During the initial training days, some players from Hà Nội Police, Đông Á Thanh Hóa, Hà Nội, and Hải Phòng will be absent as they will be busy with the National Cup, AFC Champions League 2023-24, and AFC Cup 2023-24.

After camp, the Vietnamese team will travel to China for an away game against China on October 10, followed by a match against Uzbekistan on October 13. A day later, the team will proceed to South Korea for a training camp and will have an international friendly match against the South Korean team in Suwon City on October 17.

These friendly matches will serve as the final preparation for the national team before officially entering the second qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Asia, which begins in November.

Thanks to their placement among the world's top 100 and Asia's top 20 teams, Việt Nam is not required to participate in a playoff round to advance to the group stage of qualifiers for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The 36 teams in the region will be divided into nine groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the third qualification round of the Asian region for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as qualifying for the finals of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Việt Nam has been drawn into Group F, along with the Philippines, Iraq, and the winner of the upcoming playoff match between Indonesia and Brunei. Việt Nam's opening match against the Philippines is scheduled to take place on November 16. VNS