Important arenas
2026 is identified as a pivotal period for Vietnamese sports, when a series of major arenas in the region, continent and world take place continuously.
On the basis of achievements and organizational work achieved in 2025, the sports industry enters a new cycle with the goal of improving professional quality, selecting key investment points and expanding the depth of force.
According to the Vietnam Department of Physical Education and Sports, in 2026, the country's sports will participate in 5 important congresses including ASIAD 20 (Japan), Youth Olympics (Senegal), Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Asian Beach Games (China) and the 10th National Sports Games taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.
Among these, ASIAD is considered a key arena, where Vietnamese sports do not participate scattered but focus on sports and athletes capable of competing for medals.
The faces expected to continue to maintain their position at the continental level include Bac Thi Khiem, Hoang Thi My Tam (taekwondo), Trinh Thu Vinh, Pham Quang Huy (shooting), Nguyen Thi Huong (canoeing), Pham Thi Hue (rowng), along with traditional teams such as sepak takraw, women's volleyball, women's 4x400m athletics relay, karate,
At the same time, many young athletes such as Nguyen Thuy Hien, Tran Van Nguyen Quoc (swimming), Nguyen Hai Dang, Nguyen Thi Thu Huyen (badminton)... are given the opportunity to accumulate through major congresses, in preparation for the next Olympic cycle.
Football towards the continent
Parallel to the Olympic sports, Vietnamese football enters 2026 with a dense schedule at many levels. Notably, this is the first time that up to 7 national teams and youth teams have won the right to participate in the Asian finals in the same year, including men's team, women's team, U23 men's team, U20 women's team, U17 men's team, U17 women's team and two men's and women's futsal teams.
At the men's national team level, ASEAN Cup 2026 is considered an important goal. With the position of defending champion, the Vietnamese national team is highly appreciated in the context that many regional opponents are promoting player naturalization. The fact that the force can be supplemented with quality naturalization factors is considered a necessary solution to maintain competitiveness.
At the same time, the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers are also decisive. If the Asian Football Confederation has not made a decision related to the Malaysian team, the direct confrontation in the second leg is likely to become a key match for the ticket to the next round of the Vietnamese team.
For U23 Vietnam, 2026 is an important time when the team participates in both the AFC U23 Championship finals and ASIAD 20. The generation of players born from 2003 to 2005 - who were trained through V.League and regional youth tournaments, are expected to continue to maintain a stable position in the continental arena. ASIAD is also the final tournament for many young players before entering a new stage in their international careers.
In women's football, the 2026 Asian Cup finals open up opportunities to compete for tickets to the 2027 World Cup. The Vietnamese women's team aims to pass the group stage to advance deeper.
Meanwhile, youth teams such as U20 women's and U17 women's also aim to accumulate experience and seek opportunities to step into the world arena. U17 Vietnam men's team is assessed to have a higher ability to compete for World Cup spots thanks to favorable competition format.
Overall, 2026 marks an important shift in Vietnamese sports from "single congress" thinking to approaching long-term cycles.
Clearly defining the key arena, allocating resources reasonably and maintaining the stability of the national team system is a key factor to enhance Vietnam's sports position in the next period.
