The Việt Nam team train for the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup. — Photo courtesy ofVFF

Football

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam are aiming to secure second place in Group B at the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, which would guarantee them a spot in the 2025 U17 World Cup finals.

With FIFA expanding the World Cup from 24 to 48 teams, Asia now has eight slots - double the previous allocation. This means that merely advancing past the group stage at the Asian Cup will gift teams a ticket to Qatar in November.

This expanded opportunity has opened doors for many teams, including the U17s of Việt Nam. As long as they finish among the top two in their group, a World Cup ticket will be theirs.

To capitalise on this chance, the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) and the coaching staff are going all out with their preparations. Coach Cristiano Roland, with strong support from technical supervisor Yukata Ikeuchi, has ensured an organised and effective selection process.

The team have played five friendly matches in Hà Nội to gear up for the tournament. Before departing for Oman, coach Roland made the difficult decision to cut eight players, including Vietnamese-American midfielder Thomas Mai Veeren. Following two 1-0 victories against U17 Oman, he finalised the list of 23 players for the Asian tournament.

After nearly two months of rigorous training and seven matches, U17 Việt Nam feels well-prepared for the challenges ahead, even up against strong opponents like Japan, UAE and Australia in Group B.

Challenging opponents

In Group B, Japan have emerged as a formidable contender for the top spot. Despite only having been brought together as a team on March 24, coach Hiroyama Nozomi’s squad quickly found their rhythm, recently achieving victories over Tokyo International University Club and Thailand. Earlier, they also secured two wins against Paraguay, with scores of 3-2 and 2-0.

Hiroto Asada is said to be a player to watch. Standing at 1.89m, he possesses exceptional goal-scoring ability, netting six goals in the qualifiers, including a hat-trick against Nepal and a double against Oman. However, U17 Việt Nam have previously surprised Japan, winning 1-0 in the Peace Cup friendly tournament last year.

Another direct competitor for the World Cup ticket is Australia, but they have shown some instability in their preparations.

UAE, the final opponent in Group B, also presents a challenge. They have performed slightly better than Australia, drawing 2-2 with Indonesia in a recent friendly and defeating U17 Malaysia 2-0 in the qualifiers.

Việt Nam have meticulously prepared for the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, but to earn a World Cup spot, they will need to demonstrate resilience and skill against some tough opponents.

Việt Nam’s schedule includes matches against Australia on April 4, Japan on April 7, and UAE on April 10.

Captain Lê Huy Việt Anh, recognised by the AFC as one of the standout players to watch at the tournament, emphasised the importance of focus and determination: "I always encourage everyone to stay focused, try hard and not fear any opponent. I hope everyone will support us. The whole team is committed to achieving the best results in every match," he said. VNS