Vietnam to play RoK at AFC U17 Asian Cup, eye World Cup berth
VOV.VN - Vietnam have been drawn in Group C alongside the Republic of Korea (RoK), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen at the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026, following the official draw for the continental finals on February 12.
The tournament is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia from May 7 to 24, featuring 16 national teams from across Asia.
In the qualifying stage, Vietnam delivered an impressive campaign, collecting a maximum 15 points, scoring 30 goals and conceding none to top their group and secure a place in the finals. The strong performance highlighted the team’s progress and determination as they earned a spot among Asia’s top youth sides.
Saudi Arabia, hosting the tournament for the third time, are among nine teams that received automatic qualification to the 21st edition of the competition. The group includes the hosts and eight other Asian Football Confederation (AFC) representatives that competed at the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2025: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Indonesia, Japan, the RoK, Qatar, Tajikistan, the UAE and Uzbekistan. The remaining seven places were secured by group winners from the qualifiers.
Of the 16 teams participating, 13 featured in the most recent finals in 2025, where Uzbekistan were crowned champions. The other three sides are India and Qatar, who last appeared in 2023, and Myanmar, returning to the tournament for the first time since 2006.
At the finals, teams will compete in a single round-robin format within their groups. The top eight teams overall will advance to the quarter-finals and automatically qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
For Vietnam, the tournament represents a crucial opportunity to assert their position at continental level and gain valuable experience. At the 2025 edition, Vietnam drew all three group-stage matches against Australia, Japan and the UAE but finished bottom of the group, narrowly missing out on a quarter-final berth and a World Cup ticket.
Head coach Cristiano Roland’s side will now aim to progress beyond the group stage and secure a historic place at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026.
Vietnam to face Thailand in race for U17 Women’s World Cup spot
VOV.VN - Vietnam will take on regional rivals Thailand in Group A of the 2026 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup, as they aim to secure a place at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
