Vietnam youth team heads to Thailand for Southeast Asia tournament

The Vietnam U19 futsal squad is on its way to participate in the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship.

On the afternoon of December 20th, the Vietnam U19 futsal team departed for Thailand to take part in the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship. Earlier, to prepare for two upcoming regional tournaments, the Vietnam U19 and U16 futsal teams planned to begin training on November 16th in Ho Chi Minh City.

To get ready for this competition, the team gathered for training starting November 16th at the Chanh Hung ward futsal arena (Ho Chi Minh City) with 20 selected players under the guidance of head coach Nguyen Anh Khoa. After more than a month of training, the coaching staff finalized the list of 14 players as per the regulations before departure.

According to the draw results, in the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship, Vietnam’s U19 futsal team is placed in Group A alongside Thailand and Brunei. Group B includes Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia. The tournament runs from December 23 to 29, 2025, at the Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium, featuring a single round-robin format within each group, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals to compete for a spot in the final.

The match schedule has Vietnam’s U19 futsal team facing Brunei at 8:00 PM on December 24 and then playing host Thailand at 8:00 PM on December 25. All Group A matches will be held at the Nonthaburi Provincial Stadium (Thailand).

The AFF’s inaugural organization of futsal tournaments at the U19 level is considered a significant milestone for youth futsal development in Southeast Asia, providing young players with opportunities to gain international match experience. The Vietnam U19 futsal team aims to showcase strong technical skills and accumulate vital international experience to become a future core for the national team.

Despite challenges, Vietnam’s youth futsal remains active and stable. Each year, the U19/20 futsal team regularly gathers for training and international friendly matches, including two high-quality games against Russia’s U19 team in 2024. Additionally, the national U20 futsal championship organized by the Vietnam Football Federation has become an important platform for discovering and nurturing promising young talents for the country’s futsal scene.