In this gathering, coach Cristiano Roland continues to place his faith in the framework that has played impressively in the qualifying round of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship. With a record of 5 wins, 30 goals scored and no goals conceded, U17 Vietnam won the top spot in Group C and won a ticket to participate in the continental finals. This is considered an important foundation for the team to aim for effective performance in the upcoming regional tournament.
Besides the key force, the focused list also recorded the return of some notable faces such as Dau Quang Hung, Nguyen Le Quang Khoi and Tran Ngoc Son. Among them, Quang Hung once participated in the U17 Asian Championship 2025 finals, while Ngoc Son and Quang Khoi accumulated international experience when participating in the U16 international CFA Team China 2025 tournament. In addition, new factors such as Vu Duc Huy (Hanoi Police), Phung Quang Danh (The Cong Viettel) and Ta Dinh Phong (Da Nang) were given opportunities to increase the depth of the squad.
According to the plan, U17 Vietnam will maintain training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center until April 10 before heading to Indonesia to participate in the tournament.
In the group stage, U17 Vietnam is in Group A with host Indonesia, Malaysia and Timor-Leste. This is considered a highly competitive group when Indonesia has home advantage, and Malaysia is always a direct opponent in the race to win tickets to the semi-finals.
In the remaining groups, Group B includes Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines; Group C has the participation of Australia, Cambodia, Singapore and Brunei. The teams compete in a single round-robin format to calculate points and rank, selecting the three first-placed teams and one second-placed team with the best results to the semi-finals. Therefore, each match is important for the team's chances of advancing.
According to the schedule, the tournament takes place from April 11 to 23. U17 Vietnam will play against U17 Malaysia on April 13. Not only is it a regional playground, the tournament also plays an important stepping stone towards the final round of the 2026 AFC U17 Championship expected to take place in May in Saudi Arabia.
