U17 Yemen unpredictable
Group C of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship is considered to have very high competition when it gathers U17 Korea, U17 UAE, U17 Yemen and U17 Vietnam. In the context that U17 Korea is considered the leading candidate for the top spot in the group, the confrontation between U17 Vietnam and U17 Yemen is likely to directly affect the chances of both teams to advance.
U17 Yemen enters the tournament with a clear goal. Deputy team leader Rajih Al-Qadami affirmed that the West Asian team wants to recreate the achievement of winning a ticket to the 2002 World Cup. According to the Yemeni football leadership, the current generation of players possesses many quality faces and is capable of competing in this year's tournament.
In fact, U17 Yemen is not a strange opponent to Vietnamese youth football. The two teams once drew 1-1 in the 2025 AFC U17 Championship qualifiers. Further back, U17 Vietnam also lost to U17 Yemen in a friendly match in 2023. Statistics of the last 3 encounters show that the West Asian representative is still slightly better with 1 win and 2 draws.
The strength of U17 Yemen lies in the speed of transition and the ability to organize quite diverse attacks. Many players can create breakthroughs from the second line or exploit gaps well in counter-attacks.
In this year's AFC U17 Championship qualifiers, U17 Yemen won all 5 matches against U17 Pakistan, U17 Laos, U17 Kyrgyzstan, U17 Cambodia and U17 Guam. However, this team also had many problems before the opening day. They only gathered from mid-April before going to Saudi Arabia on April 25, causing the preparation time to be shortened.
In addition, U17 Yemen could not summon 6 young players playing in Saudi Arabia as initially planned. The lack of force significantly affected their squad depth. In the most recent friendly match in Jeddah, U17 Yemen lost to U17 Uzbekistan 1-2 and revealed many gaps in the defense system, especially in situations against fast counter-attacks.
U17 Vietnam calculates playing style
Compared to a year ago, U17 Vietnam is showing more positive signs in terms of form and playing style. Coach Cristiano Roland's team has won all matches in the U17 Asian Cup qualifiers, scoring 30 goals and not conceding any goals. After that, U17 Vietnam continued to maintain an unbeaten record at the 2026 U17 Southeast Asian Championship to win the championship.
The noteworthy point of U17 Vietnam lies in the change in the approach to the match. After the lesson at last year's Asian finals, coach Roland no longer prioritized protecting the score too early. Instead, he asked the players to maintain the intensity of attack and maintain the initiative even when they were leading.
In addition, the coaching staff also focused on adjusting professional details before the match against U17 Yemen. The ability to switch states, support defense and finishing efficiency are factors that have been focused on in recent training sessions.
We still have points to improve, especially tactical movements and finishing ability. The positive thing is that the players are all clearly aware of the issues that need to be adjusted" - coach Roland said.
One of the biggest lessons of U17 Vietnam is last year's tournament, when the team drew all 3 matches but was still eliminated. That forced the whole team to change their playing mindset if they wanted to compete for a World Cup spot.
In the previous tournament, we tried in every match but three draws were not enough. That is a lesson for the whole team to understand that it is necessary to better utilize opportunities and aim for victory" - the Brazilian strategist emphasized.
In the context that the group also includes U17 Korea and U17 UAE, the opening match with U17 Yemen is of particular importance. A favorable result will help U17 Vietnam create a significant advantage in the race to win a ticket to the quarter-finals, which means a ticket to participate in the 2026 U17 World Cup.
The match between U17 Vietnam and U17 Yemen takes place at 0:00 on May 7.
