Information from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said that the group stage of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship will not be filmed and broadcast as usual. According to the plan, only from the quarter-finals onwards, matches will be produced with signals and distributed to copyright holders.
This means that most of the group stage matches, including the matches of U17 Vietnam, are likely not to be broadcast on television or online platforms. Vietnamese audiences are at risk of not being able to watch live the first 3 matches of U17 Vietnam at this year's tournament.
Currently, fans are waiting for some Vietnamese broadcasters to send a crew to organize the production and broadcasting of matches, similar to a Thai television station that once organized the broadcasting of the home team's matches at the CFA Team China 2026 friendly tournament recently.
According to the format, the teams compete in a round-robin format to choose 8 names to enter the quarterfinals, and at the same time win the right to participate in the 2026 U17 World Cup. Thus, in just the first 3 matches, the opportunity to advance or be eliminated will be decided. Without live images, it is difficult for fans to follow the competition process of Sy Bach and his teammates.
At the 2026 AFC U17 Championship, U17 Vietnam is in Group C with U17 Korea, U17 UAE and U17 Yemen. This is a highly competitive group when the opponents all possess physical strength and international competition experience.
The tournament will take place in Saudi Arabia from May 7 to May 24. Before the competition, U17 Vietnam has made positive preparations when passing the qualifying round with a perfect record and not conceding a goal. Besides, the recent U17 Southeast Asian Championship is the basis for the team to aim for a higher goal in the continental arena.
