On the afternoon of November 21, U17 Vietnam completed preparations for the 2026 U17 Asian qualifiers with the final training session at the PVF Youth Football Training Center. Immediately after the training session, coach Cristiano Roland made a decision on the official list of 23 players according to the tournament's Charter.
Four players will not continue to accompany the team in this qualifying campaign, including goalkeeper Ho Le Nguyen Chuong, defender Nguyen Le Duc Anh, midfielder Hoang Minh Loi and striker Ho Chi Dan. The coaching staff took time to encourage, share and advise the young players to stay optimistic and continue to strive at the club, thereby opening up opportunities to return to the national team in the following training sessions.
In Group C of the 2026 U17 Asian qualifiers, the U17 Vietnam team will compete with the U17 Malaysia, U17 Singapore, U17 Hong Kong (China), U17 Northern Mariana Islands and U17 Macao (China). In the opening match, U17 Vietnam will face U17 Singapore on November 22 at PVF Stadium.
Head coach Cristiano Roland said that with the attention and support from the Vietnam Football Federation, U17 Vietnam has had an active preparation process, in which the training trip in Japan brought many valuable experiences to the young players. Coach Cristiano Roland emphasized that the whole team is in good spirits, focusing on the opening match and aiming to participate in the 2026 U17 Asian finals.
The Brazilian coach also highly appreciates the current force, with many players who participated in the U17 Asian finals last year and are eager to return to this arena. However, he believes that the frequency of 5 matches in 10 days will be a big challenge, requiring the recovery and rotation of forces to be effectively deployed to maintain the best condition for the whole team.
With careful preparation over the past time, coach Cristiano Roland and his team are expected to become the 6th team of Vietnam to participate in the continental competition finals.
