Vietnam National Team to Face Former Premier League Star Ahead of Malaysia Match

Following an extended period without international play, the Vietnam national team is set to resume competition in March with a FIFA-sanctioned friendly match.

According to Origin Foot (a Bangladeshi media outlet), Vietnam will have another important match during the March FIFA Days, facing Bangladesh in an international friendly scheduled for March 26. This is considered a necessary “warm-up” for coach Kim Sang Sik’s squad before they take on Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, and it also provides an opportunity for Vietnam to improve their FIFA ranking points and position.

The most notable player on the Bangladesh side is definitely Hamza Choudhury, a defensive midfielder currently playing for Leicester City in the English Championship. Born in 1997, Choudhury joined Leicester in 2018 and is contracted with King Power Stadium until June 2027. As of late 2025, his market value is estimated at around 5 million euros.

Although raised in the English football system and having represented England U21 seven times, Choudhury officially chose to represent Bangladesh at the senior level after completing the FIFA-approved nationality switch procedure. Since debuting for Bangladesh on March 25, 2025, he has played 7 matches and scored 4 goals, an impressive tally for a defensive midfielder. Overall, Choudhury has logged 575 minutes for Bangladesh, highlighting his central role in coach Javier Cabrera’s tactical setup.

For Vietnam, the friendly against Bangladesh comes at a time when the team has dropped one place to 108th in the FIFA rankings. This decline is not due to poor performance but because the team has not played international matches for a long time, resulting in no additional points and being overtaken by other teams.

The last appearance of the “Golden Star Warriors” was in November 2025, when they secured a victory over Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. Since then, Vietnam has not played any official international matches for over two months.

Therefore, the friendly against Bangladesh on March 26 is not only a chance to test the lineup and evaluate the squad but also carries FIFA ranking points significance, helping Vietnam regain their international match rhythm before the crucial qualifier against Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup.