Meanwhile, Group B includes U19 Thailand, U19 Malaysia, U19 Singapore and U19 Brunei. Group C has the participation of U19 Australia, U19 Cambodia and U19 Philippines.
The tournament is scheduled to take place in Indonesia from June 1 to June 14, 2026, and is also considered an important preparation step towards the 2027 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers.
To prepare for the tournament, U19 Vietnam gathered from April 29 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center under the guidance of coach Yutaka Ikeuchi. The coaching staff called up a total of 41 players to serve the process of reviewing, evaluating forces and building a squad for immediate goals.
However, the team is facing many personnel difficulties as some players have not been able to join the team due to being busy playing for their club in national professional leagues and the National Second Division. Many players born in 2008 are also in the stage of both playing and preparing for the high school graduation exam.
According to the plan, the players will gather in stages depending on the schedule of the managing club. This forces the coaching staff to continuously adjust training plans as well as assess the force to gradually complete the squad.
In the past time, the coaching staff has implemented fitness tests to assess the physical foundation of the players, thereby adjusting the appropriate training intensity before entering in-depth tactical exercises.
According to the plan, U19 Vietnam will have a training and friendly match trip in Japan from May 18 to May 26 to improve professional quality and improve playing style before going to Indonesia to participate in the tournament.
Being in the same group as U19 Indonesia is predicted to bring many challenges to U19 Vietnam. However, the team still aims to play effectively at the 2026 U19 Southeast Asian Championship, and at the same time create a foundation for the journey in the 2027 AFC U20 Championship qualifiers.
