Vietnamese-American rookie anxiously awaits FIFA clearance to join Vietnam national team

Vietnamese-American goalkeeper Patrik Lê Giang is currently waiting for FIFA to approve his federation transfer procedures, a required step prior to his eligibility to play for the Vietnam national team.

Although the March 2026 FIFA Days period is approaching, as of today, March 15th, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has yet to announce the official roster for the Vietnam national team. This delay is notable because earlier, several V.League clubs proactively disclosed that their players had been called up to the national squad.

Specifically, on March 10th, Ho Chi Minh City Police Club announced three players selected for the Vietnam national team: Patrik Lê Giang, Nguyễn Tiến Linh, and Đinh Thanh Bình. Meanwhile, other clubs such as CAHN, Nam Định, Ninh Bình, and HAGL also successively revealed their players included in this training camp. However, according to media inquiries, VFF's delay in announcing the official roster is related to the procedural matters of Vietnamese-American goalkeeper Patrik Lê Giang.

According to information disclosed by domestic sports media outlets, the goalkeeper born in 1993 is still awaiting completion of his football federation transfer process approved by FIFA. Previously, Patrik Lê Giang played for Slovakia's youth teams U19 and U21, so he requires FIFA approval to change his federation if he wishes to compete internationally for the Vietnam national team.

This is not an uncommon situation in Vietnamese football. Before Patrik Lê Giang, several other Vietnamese-overseas players also underwent similar processes before being permitted to play for the Vietnam national team. Midfielder Trần Thành Trung and goalkeeper Filip Nguyễn both completed their transfer procedures after having previously represented youth teams, and even national teams, in Europe.

According to the plan, the official roster of the Vietnam national team is likely to be announced next week. The team is scheduled to assemble from March 21st in Hanoi to prepare for matches during the FIFA Days period. During this phase, the team will play a friendly against Bangladesh on March 26th before traveling to Nam Định to face Malaysia on March 31st.