At noon on May 14 local time in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan visited and encouraged the U17 Vietnam team before moving to Riyadh to attend the AFC Champions League 2025-2026 award ceremony as assigned by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
At the meeting, Mr. Tran Quoc Tuan praised the fighting spirit of U17 Vietnam after the 3-2 comeback victory against U17 UAE to win a ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship and win the right to participate in the 2026 U17 World Cup.
This is a very proud achievement of Vietnamese youth football. The players have shown a fighting spirit that does not give up, maturity and bravery in the most difficult time of the match," Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan shared.
The head of VFF assessed that major playgrounds such as the U17 Asian Championship finals or the U17 World Cup will bring many valuable experiences for young players in the process of career development.
To reach the peak of football, children must prepare themselves for maturity, bravery and meet the very high standards of professional football," he emphasized.
According to Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan, the Standing Committee of the VFF Executive Committee has directed the development of a high-quality international training and competition plan to prepare for the journey at the 2026 U17 World Cup, and at the same time aim for long-term goals for Vietnamese football in the future.
He also recalled the journey of the U23 Vietnam team at the 2026 AFC U23 Championship finals as a lesson on the spirit of overcoming difficulties. After the defeat against U23 China, U23 Vietnam returned strongly to defeat U23 Korea in the third-place match, thereby winning a bronze medal at the Asian Championship.
Besides expertise, the VFF President reminded U17 Vietnam players about using social networks in the context that the team receives a lot of attention from fans.
Social networks have two sides. When you win, you will receive a lot of praise, but when you fail, you will also be under great pressure. The most important thing is to maintain focus on work, live by football and playing professionally," he said.
Closing the meeting, Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan encouraged the whole team to continue to maintain confidence and focus to the maximum for the upcoming match against U17 Australia.
According to the schedule, U17 Vietnam will meet U17 Australia in the quarter-finals of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship at 0:00 on May 17 Vietnam time.
