OFFICIAL: AFC's ruling disappoints Vietnamese fans

The AFC's decision not to broadcast the U17 Asian Cup group stage makes it very difficult for Vietnamese fans to follow the matches of the U17 Vietnam team.

Information from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is causing concern among Vietnamese supporters, as the group stage of the 2026 U17 Asian Cup is likely not to be recorded and widely broadcast. According to the organizers' plan, only from the quarter-finals onwards will matches have official television signal production to be provided to rights holders.

This means that the group stage matches, including the three encounters of U17 Vietnam, risk not appearing on television or familiar online platforms. This is quite unfortunate news because the group stage is the most crucial phase, directly determining the ability to advance as well as the opportunity to secure a ticket to the 2026 U17 World Cup.

In this context, many supporters are hoping that domestic television stations will proactively send crews to Saudi Arabia to independently produce and broadcast footage of U17 Vietnam's matches. Previously, some regional countries like Thailand have applied this solution when their youth teams participated in international tournaments lacking official broadcast signals from the organizers.

According to the tournament format, 16 teams are divided into groups and play a single round-robin. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals and also secure a ticket to the 2026 U17 World Cup. Thus, after just the first three matches, the fate of the teams is nearly decided. Without live footage, fans will find it very hard to follow the journey of the coach and his players, as well as the performances of standout players like Sy Bach.

In this final round, U17 Vietnam is placed in Group C alongside strong opponents including U17 Korea, U17 UAE, and U17 Yemen. This is considered a challenging group as all three opponents possess solid physical foundations, modern playing styles, and extensive experience in youth-level international competitions.

The 2026 U17 Asian Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia from May 7th to May 24th. Prior to the tournament, U17 Vietnam has prepared quite positively by passing the qualifiers with a perfect winning record and keeping a clean sheet. The recently won U17 Southeast Asian championship also boosts the team's confidence as they aim to surpass the group stage and make their first appearance at the U17 World Cup.

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