Indonesian media comments on Vietnam's World Cup dream

Indonesia's Super Ball newspaper has drawn attention by mentioning Vietnam's goal of making its first appearance at a World Cup.

Earlier this week, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) held the first meeting of the National Coaching Council for 2026. Among the most notable topics discussed were the aim to qualify for a World Cup for the first time and maintaining a position within the top 100 of the FIFA rankings.

This news quickly attracted attention from regional media, including the Super Ball from Indonesia.

In an article titled “Aspiration to surpass Indonesia's milestone, the prospect of Vietnam securing a World Cup ticket”, the newspaper referenced Indonesia's achievement of reaching the fourth round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and noted that Vietnam has solid grounds to confidently pursue its stated goal.

Super Ball commented: "The dream of Southeast Asian nations to participate in the World Cup deserves recognition, including rivals of the Indonesian national team.

Indonesia's entry into the fourth qualifying round has created a significant boost, becoming motivation for other countries in the region to strive for similar milestones.

Following this trend, a familiar rival of Indonesia has boldly set the major goal of securing a World Cup ticket.

Although currently only a direction without a concrete roadmap, Vietnam still demonstrates confidence when mentioning this ambition.

This is part of Vietnam football's long-term development strategy, especially as they aim to be among the top 100 in the FIFA rankings.

Even though it is still just a plan on paper, this goal quickly attracted attention and became a topic vigorously discussed by major media outlets across Southeast Asia."

Up to now, Vietnam's best achievement remains reaching the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. Under coach Park Hang Seo's guidance, the "Golden Star Warriors" competed with great effort but could not create surprises against top opponents like Japan or Australia.

Nevertheless, Vietnamese football is gradually receiving positive signals. The national team now possesses several quality naturalized players such as Xuan Son or Hoang Hen, contributing to increasing squad depth. Additionally, familiar pillars like Duy Manh, Quang Hai, and Hoang Duc are ready to join coach Kim Sang Sik in building a competitive collective, aiming for major regional goals as well as the World Cup dream.

On the other hand, Indonesia remains Southeast Asia's most outstanding performer in World Cup qualifiers. The archipelago nation's team advanced deep into the fourth round and only stopped against strong opponents. Their naturalization strategy has also shown clear effectiveness, with many players competing in Europe joining the squad. If they continue this direction and add more quality personnel, Garuda could certainly aim for greater successes in the future.