Busy schedule
The schedule from the end of 2026 to the beginning of 2027 gives the Vietnamese team a favorable time to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.
Coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will kick off an important series of matches with the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, taking place from September 23 to October 6 in Indonesia. The Vietnamese team sets the highest goal to add to the collection of titles.
At the same time, the tournament also helps the coaching staff have more basis to assess the force, and at the same time maintain the rhythm of competition for the group of players used regularly.
After the regional tournament, the team will continue to have a training camp in November during FIFA Days. According to the plan, the Vietnamese team will play friendly matches with Taiwan (China) and Kyrgyzstan from November 9 to 17.
The team still has a relatively long period of time to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup. On December 21, the Vietnamese team will gather again in the country to enter the direct preparation phase for the continental tournament. This period allows the coaching staff to review the force, thereby developing appropriate personnel plans for each position.
On January 1, 2027, the team will go to Qatar for training and is expected to have a friendly match with the home team. This is an important test before the whole team moves to Saudi Arabia to participate in the 2027 Asian Cup.
Many important tasks
With the above schedule, the Vietnamese team has the conditions to maintain a playing state for a long time instead of just focusing short-term before the Asian Cup. This is an important basis for the coaching staff to monitor the performance and more accurately assess the ability of each player.
First of all, FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is an opportunity for Mr. Kim Sang-sik to verify personnel through highly competitive matches when facing Thailand and the Philippines.
After that, two friendly matches in November opened up more space to test other options, from individual positions to team operations.
Having many matches with opponents of different levels also helps the coaching staff review forces in stages. Players in good form may be given more opportunities, while positions that do not meet requirements will be adjusted or supplemented.
This is also the time to test the ability to combine between groups of players, especially when the team has personnel changes.
Coach Kim Sang-sik will have more time to build and perfect tactics with many different options, instead of just using a fixed operating method. The coaching staff can test pressing organization, state transition ability as well as response in each time.
Notably, the friendly match with Qatar will help the Vietnamese team assess their professional status before entering the 2027 Asian Cup finals.
Maintaining the competition, constantly reviewing personnel and assembling the squad for many months will help Mr. Kim Sang-sik have more data to choose the optimal framework, and at the same time bring players to the tournament in the best form and preparation.
