The Thai Youth Football fanpage published an article praising the Vietnamese “golden star warriors” for displaying extraordinary fighting spirit in overturning the match to defeat the UAE 3–2, thereby topping Group C for the first time and earning a place at the U17 World Cup in Qatar later this year.
The historic win not only secured Vietnam’s first-ever berth at the FIFA U17 World Cup, but also drew widespread admiration from football commentators and media outlets in Thailand and Indonesia.
Vietnam national U17 football team secured a place at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 for the first time after defeating United Arab Emirates national U17 football team 3-2 on in the final Group C match of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 in Saudi Arabia on early May 14 (Vietnam time).
The regional title is seen as a well-deserved reward for the team’s sustained efforts under head coach Cristiano Roland, while also reflecting the steady progress of Vietnam’s youth football development.
Vietnam have been drawn in Group C with Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Macau (China), and the Northern Mariana Islands at the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers.
To gear up, the Vietnamese team will gather in late October, with the core squad drawn from standout performers in the 2025 national U17 championship.
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
In order to increase the competitiveness in the team, Roland also gave opportunities to new faces, notably Thomas Mai Veeren, a Vietnamese-Dutch player.