On the morning of April 29, U17 Vietnam organized an internal training match with the Hanoi Youth team at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center stadium. This is considered the final professional check step of coach Cristiano Roland and his team before finalizing the list to participate in the 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals.
The practice match helps the coaching staff assess the overall force, from form, physical condition to the ability to meet tactical requirements in each position. After this test, the team will select 23 official players, aiming to build an optimal squad for the continental tournament.
According to the plan, U17 Vietnam will depart for Saudi Arabia on the night of April 30, early morning of May 1. The travel plan is calculated to help the players have time to adapt to the time zone difference (about 4 hours), and also get used to the weather and field conditions in the host country.
The 2026 AFC U17 Championship finals will take place from May 5 to May 22 with the participation of 16 teams, divided into 4 groups. The tournament is also a direct qualifying round for the 2026 U17 World Cup. According to the allocation, the Asian region has 9 slots to participate, including the host U17 Qatar team. The top two teams in each group will enter the quarterfinals and win tickets to the World Cup. If U17 Qatar passes the group stage, the remaining slot will be reserved for the third-placed team with the best results.
According to the draw results, U17 Vietnam is in the same group as opponents including U17 Korea, U17 UAE and U17 Yemen. The team will meet U17 Yemen (May 7), U17 Korea (May 10) and U17 UAE (May 14) respectively.
With a synchronously deployed preparation process, U17 Vietnam aims to play effectively through each match, thereby competing for the opportunity to win a ticket to the 2026 U17 World Cup finals.
