AFC launches a new tournament, giving Vietnam an additional chance to qualify for the World Cup

The Vietnam national team gains an extra pathway to the World Cup via the AFC Nations League.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has officially announced plans to implement the AFC Nations League,a men's national team competition modeled after Europe's Nations League. This is seen as a strategic move to comprehensively reform the continent's international match system, replacing traditional friendlies which have shown limitations in appeal and competitive quality.

According to the AFC, utilizing current FIFA Days faces many challenges. Teams often struggle to find suitable opponents, face high travel costs, and the improvement in skill levels is limited. The AFC Nations League will establish a clearly structured competition, allowing 47 members to regularly compete against similarly ranked teams, thereby fostering stronger competitive motivation.

This is good news for Vietnam and other Asian teams, providing valuable opportunities to play and gain experience during FIFA Days. Additionally, the AFC Nations League offers Vietnam a chance to advance towards bigger goals like the World Cup.

In Europe, the UEFA Nations League serves to determine four playoff spots for the Euros and World Cup, not just a friendly tournament without stakes. If the AFC Nations League follows a similar model, a strong performance by Vietnam could increase their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

Currently, the AFC is considering two ranking-based classification options using the FIFA rankings. The first option divides teams into four tiers (A, B, C with 12 teams each and D with 11 teams). The second, considered more feasible by the media, splits into three tiers: A and B each with 16 teams, and C with the remaining 15 teams. This division will directly affect the starting positions of Southeast Asian teams, including Vietnam.

For Vietnam, currently ranked 110th worldwide and 20th in Asia, the team is in an intriguing borderline position. Under the first option (four tiers), Vietnam, ranked 20th in Asia, would be a top-seeded team in League B.