According to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the team will assemble on May 4 for a training camp at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre. After the domestic training, they will depart for Japan to play a series of friendlies with local clubs.

Following the Japan tour, the team will return home to compete in Group E of the 2026 Asian Cup qualification, to be held at Viet Tri Stadium in the northern province of Phu Tho. Vietnam will take on Guam, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Maldives – all of whom are ranked lower than the host side in the FIFA world rankings.

The qualifiers will run from June 23 to July 5 in a centralised format. A total of eight groups – two with five teams and six with four – will contest the group stage. The top two teams from each group will advance to the final round, slated for March 1 to 21, 2026.

The tournament will also serve as the opening stage of Asian qualification for both the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.

Vietnam drawn in top seed group for AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers

VOV.VN - Vietnam’s national U23 team have been placed in Pot 1 for the qualifying matches of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup 2026.