Indonesian press goes wild over Vietnam football’s historic decision

Indonesian media are paying great attention to the strategic choice made by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to send the U21 team instead of the U23 squad to compete in the 2026 Asian Games.

Right at the beginning of the article, SUPERBALL.ID emphasized: “The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has made a bold move by sending the U21 squad to represent the national team at the 2026 Asian Games.”

According to official information from AFC and OCA, the men’s football tournament at the 2026 Asian Games will feature 16 teams, selected from the 16 participants of the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia. Thanks to reaching the semifinals and finishing third, Vietnam’s U23 team automatically secured their place at the Asian Games in Aichi – Nagoya (Japan). The article also reiterates the exact tournament dates: “Vietnam’s U23 team is confirmed to participate in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, scheduled from September 19 to October 4.”

However, what particularly caught Indonesian media’s attention is that Vietnam will not field the U23 team that recently succeeded in Asia for the ASIAD competition. Instead, the VFF has taken a different approach: “However, the U23 squad from that tournament will not be used at the 2026 Asian Games. From the outset, the VFF decided to send the U21 team to represent Vietnam in this event. This bold decision is part of VFF’s strategy to prepare for major future competitions.”

According to SUPERBALL.ID, this is a long-term strategy of Vietnamese football, aiming to build the squad for the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia, the 2028 AFC U23 Asian Cup, and further ahead, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Indonesian article also points out that among the players who participated in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, only five meet the VFF’s criteria for the Asian Games:

“Among the players who took part in the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup, only five are eligible under VFF’s standards to compete in the 2026 Asian Games. They are: Cao Văn Bình, Phạm Đình Hải, Lê Văn Thuận, Nguyễn Công Phượng, and Nguyễn Lê Phát.”

SUPERBALL.ID also highlights that since the age limit was introduced in 2002, Vietnam has never missed the men’s football event at the Asian Games. Their best achievement was fourth place at the 2018 ASIAD under coach Park Hang-seo. Additionally, Vietnam was eliminated in the round of 16 in 2010 and 2014, and exited at the group stage in 2002, 2006, and 2022.

In the Southeast Asian region, Vietnam and Thailand are the two representatives who will participate in the 2026 Asian Games, while Indonesia is absent due to failing to qualify through the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. Beyond men’s football, the Indonesian press also notes that Vietnam continues to assert its position as the only Southeast Asian country to qualify for both men’s and women’s football at the 2026 Asian Games. For the women’s category, Vietnam and the Philippines represent the region, standing alongside major football nations such as Australia, China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Uzbekistan.