VFF officially reacts as U20 Vietnam faces a group of death in Asia

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has officially addressed the challenges and preparation roadmap for the U20 Vietnam team following their placement in a very difficult group in the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

On the afternoon of May 28, 2026, the draw ceremony for the group stage of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers took place at the headquarters of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The draw placed U20 Vietnam in Group C alongside U20 Iran, U20 North Korea, and U20 Palestine. This is clearly an immense challenge for coach Yutaka Ikeuchi and his players,despite the advantage of playing at home as Vietnam is hosting the group.

Right after the results were announced, VFF’s official website offered candid assessments of the group situation. The VFF emphasized:

“In U20 Vietnam’s group, Iran is considered the top contender as they belong to the first seed and are one of Asia’s most traditional youth football powerhouses. Meanwhile, North Korea and Palestine are also highly competitive opponents, promising a fierce race for the qualification ticket.”

To prepare for the challenging campaign scheduled from August 31 to September 6, 2026, the VFF has mapped out a systematic training plan to enhance the players’ capabilities. Currently, the core squad of U20 Vietnam essentially consists of U19 national team members who are actively refining their technical and tactical skills.

The first important stepping stone for the team is to participate in the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship in Indonesia. According to the VFF, “this is considered a crucial preparatory platform to help young players gain match experience, strengthen their composure, and aim for competitiveness at the continental level.”

This year’s qualifiers feature a historic new format as the AFC applies a two-tier system for the first time: the Qualifiers stage (32 teams) and the Development stage (12 teams). This structure is extremely selective.

At the end of the qualifiers, only the eight group winners and the seven best runners-up will secure tickets to the 2027 finals in China. Conversely, the six fourth-placed teams with the worst records in the Qualifiers stage will be relegated to the Development stage in the next edition.

Given such fierce competition, the VFF and the coaching staff are determined to make the most of home-field advantage to help U20 Vietnam achieve a miracle.