Illustration by Trịnh Lập

By Thanh Nga

Football is not only the king of sports but also an indispensable part of the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.

That contrast was thrown into sharp relief at the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. While many Asian countries may view the tournament as a minor event, in Việt Nam it marks a meaningful milestone, reflecting the nation’s enduring love for and pride in the game.

One image from the competition invited uncomfortable reflection: empty stands. According to statistics released by the Asian Football Confederation, the 18 group-stage matches attracted a combined crowd of just 24,030 spectators, averaging approximately 1,335 per match.

Some fixtures were watched by as few as 90 to 200 people, despite being staged in stadiums that can seat tens of thousands. The figures highlight a broader concern about the level of attention youth football receives across the region.

A closer look suggests the problem is not the quality of play. The AFC U23 tournament remains a stage where young talents emerge and where tense matches and surprises are common. The lack of spectators instead reflects how different football cultures position U23 teams within their broader sporting landscapes.

In established Asian football nations such as Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, the emotional centre of the sport is firmly anchored to the senior national team. Fans are steeped in the atmosphere of the World Cup and Asian Cup and are attuned to the rhythm of domestic leagues and continental club competitions. Within that ecosystem, U23 tournaments are widely seen as developmental platforms – important for the future, but rarely events that draw large crowds.

This pattern was clear in Saudi Arabia, where attendance typically surged for matches involving the hosts, while games between visiting teams were often played before largely empty seats. The issue is not hostility to youth football, but competition for attention in markets where fans already have many familiar and attractive options that fit their cheering habits.

Việt Nam offers a striking contrast. Vietnamese supporters show a special affection for the AFC U23 Cup, sometimes more than for many other tournaments. The U23 team’s historic runner-up finish in Changzhou, China, in 2018 transformed the competition into a cherished national memory. Since then, many fans have believed the U23 side always deserves support, trust and enthusiasm, even when no Olympic qualification is at stake.

Seen through that lens, the sparse crowds in Saudi Arabia do not signal an unattractive tournament. They tell a story about football culture and where each nation chooses to invest its emotional energy.

For Vietnamese people, football goes beyond sport. It is a symbol of national pride. While the dream of reaching the World Cup remains distant, every international tournament becomes a stage for fans to express faith, expectation and collective identity.

When the Vietnamese U23 team compete at major Asian events, domestic clubs often pause activities to release their best players for coach Kim Sang-sik. In that context, the U23 side represents the nation’s future, aspirations, achievements and collective happiness.

As a result, even when stadiums abroad are quiet, Việt Nam’s matches frequently rank among the most watched on television and generate strong engagement on social media. This passion does not depend solely on winning or losing. It is rooted in a habit of loyalty, with fans standing behind teams at every level, from the senior national side to youth squads. Each campaign is seen as part of a longer journey of growth.

Another factor shaping muted interest among several strong teams this year is that the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup is not directly linked to Olympic qualification for the top three finishers. Without the lure of an Olympic ticket, many leading nations have treated the tournament as an experiment rather than a must-win competition. Japan’s approach is a case in point, selecting a very young squad that included numerous U21 players as part of its long-term planning for the 2028 Olympics.

For Việt Nam, however, the World Cup remains an elusive horizon. That reality gives continental tournaments a different weight. They serve as benchmarks for fans to assess where the team stands, how far it has progressed and how much further it might yet go.

These contrasting perceptions create two extremes. In many countries, the 2026 AFC U23 Cup is a stepping stone in player development, with public attention focused elsewhere on senior internationals or club football. In Việt Nam, the U23 team functions as an emotional anchor, nurturing belief and sustaining hope. Every goal and every victory brings joy and optimism to millions.

Whenever either the national team or a youth side plays abroad, matches have a way of uniting strangers. People gather on plastic chairs along pavements or crowd into large beer pubs and cafés, watching every move and sharing a collective sense of pride.

Market research has underlined this passion. Data from Nielsen previously showed that Việt Nam ranked first in Asia for the proportion of people identifying as football fans, at 75 per cent. That figure far exceeds countries with more developed sports industries, including Thailand at 58 per cent, South Korea at 50 per cent and Japan at 28 per cent.

The Vietnamese people’s love for football is distinctive and deep-rooted. It extends beyond athletic competition, linking people across generations and connecting the past with the present.

Football becomes a launchpad for dreams, hopes and national pride. When the team step onto the pitch, the country seems to move as one, and its most beautiful moments are etched into the collective memory. — VNS