BREAKING: AFC issues ruling on Vietnam team in Asian qualifiers

The AFC website states that Viet Tri Stadium will serve as the venue for Group C matches of the U20 Asian Qualifiers involving Vietnam U20.

According to an AFC announcement, Vietnam is one of the eight countries hosting group matches in the Qualifying Stage of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup, alongside Bahrain, Cambodia, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Qatar, Thailand, and Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Bhutan, Mongolia, and Myanmar will host the groups of the Development Stage.

Recently, according to an update from the official AFC website, Viet Tri Stadium will host the matches of Vietnam U20 in Group C of the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers. This will be a major advantage for Vietnam U20 in this campaign, as Viet Tri Stadium continues to be trusted to host youth tournaments and qualifiers for Vietnam's U17, U20, and U23 teams whenever the country has home advantage.

Previously, in the 2025 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam U20 were also hosts and played at Lach Tray Stadium in Hai Phong, but failed to advance. In contrast, Viet Tri Stadium seems to have brought more luck, helping Vietnam U17 qualify for the 2025 AFC U17 Asian Cup and Vietnam U23 qualify for the 2026 AFC U23 Asian Cup.

The draw results for the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers took place on the afternoon of May 28 at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, placing the Vietnam U20 team in Group C with opponents Iran, North Korea, and Palestine.

In Vietnam U20's group, Iran is considered the top candidate as they were placed in Pot 1 and are one of the continent's most traditional youth football powerhouses. Meanwhile, North Korea and Palestine are also competitive opponents, promising a fierce battle for the ticket to advance.

Currently, the core squad of Vietnam U20 is actively refining their skills through training camps and international matches, most notably participating in the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship in Indonesia. This is considered an important stepping stone to help young players gain more match experience, build confidence, and aim for competition at the continental level.

According to the tournament format, the 32 teams in the Qualifying Stage are divided into eight groups of four, playing a single round-robin format from August 31 to September 6, 2026. At the end of the qualifiers, the eight group winners and the seven best second-placed teams will qualify for the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup finals in China.