National team to play three friendlies ahead of World Cup qualifiers

The local players are scheduled to gather in September in anticipation of a friendly match played on FIFA Days. In line with the plan, the national team will face Palestine at Thien Truong Stadium in the northern province of Nam Dinh on September 11.

They will then take part in a training course in China where they will play away games against China on October 10, Uzbekistan on October 13, and the Republic of Korea on October 17.

According to the latest rankings by world’s football governing body FIFA, Vietnam are in 95th place, one place above Palestine.

Meanwhile the Republic of Korea are 28th, Uzbekistan are in 74th, and China are ranked 80th, all are higher than Vietnam in the world’s rankings.

Previously, FIFA Days in June saw Thien Truong Stadium host to a friendly match between Vietnam and Syria.

The 1-0 win ultimately saw Vietnam earn a further 8.54 points, helping them to climb from 96th to 95th in the world’s rankings.

By being ranked among the world’s top 100 and Asia’s top 20, the Vietnamese national team won’t be required to take part in a play-off round in order to progress through to the group stage of qualifiers for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

All 36 teams in the region are set to be divided into nine groups, with the best two teams ultimately making it through to the third qualification round of the Asian region for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as well as making the finals of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

The team are scheduled to compete in World Cup qualifiers from mid-November to June, 2024.

Vietnam have been drawn in Group F alongside the Philippines, Iraq, and the winner of the upcoming play-off match between Indonesia and Brunei. Vietnam’s opening match against the Philippines is set to take place on November 16.