Malaysian football expert explains why the national team uses a squad one year younger to compete against Vietnam's youth team.

Former Malaysia national team coach Ong Kim Swee spoke about the Malaysia U17 team's preparation for their match against Vietnam U17 in the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship.

The match between Vietnam U17 and Malaysia U17 in Group A of the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship will take place at 15:30 today (April 13). Recently, the technical director of Malaysia's National Football Development Program (NFDP), Datuk Ong Kim Swee, discussed the preparations of the Malaysia U17 team.

According to Ong Kim Swee, this Malaysia U17 team consists of 16-year-old players to prepare for the 2027 AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers in November.

"Even though we only prepared domestically and had just over three weeks before the Southeast Asia U17 Championship, this is crucial for the players to gain experience. It should be understood that this tournament is for the U17 age group, but we sent a squad of 16-year-old players to compete early to prepare for the Asian qualifiers," said Datuk Ong Kim Swee.

"My goal is for the players to accumulate experience and be ready for the AFC qualifiers. Any coach or team entering a tournament wants to advance deep into it. We know it's not easy, but the whole team must focus on tackling each match one by one," emphasized Ong Kim Swee.

In the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship, Malaysia U17 is in Group A along with host Indonesia U17, Vietnam U17, and Timor-Leste. Group B includes Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and Philippines, while Australia is in Group C with Cambodia, Singapore, and Brunei.

Ong Kim Swee emphasized that even though they are in a strong group and face fierce competition from Indonesia U17 and Vietnam U17, it does not mean Malaysia U17 cannot compete.

"We know this tournament is not easy, especially since our players are one year younger than their opponents. However, to improve, we must face teams like Vietnam U17, Indonesia U17, Thailand, or Australia to identify our weaknesses and strengths," added Ong Kim Swee.