The World Cup remains unfamiliar to Vietnamese football.

Numerous footballers playing for Southeast Asian clubs will feature in the 2026 World Cup, yet for the V-League, this is still an exception.

According to preliminary statistics, among the officially announced list of over 1,200 players participating in this year's biggest football festival, there are four individuals currently playing for clubs in Southeast Asia.

First is midfielder Noor Al Rawabdeh of Selangor FC, the runner-up of the 2025/26 ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup. This player joined the Malaysian club in 2023 and has made over 50 appearances for his club. Before coming to Selangor, Noor Al Rawabdeh was already a key figure for the Jordan national team in many major tournaments. He played an important role in midfield during the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, helping Jordan secure a historic spot in the World Cup finals.

Noor Al Rawabdeh's teammate at Selangor, Mo Abualnadi, is also on Jordan's roster for the 2026 World Cup. The player, born in 2001, has been with the national team since 2024 and joined Selangor in the same year.

The next name playing in Southeast Asia to appear at the 2026 World Cup is Rebin Sulaka, a veteran defender for the Iraqi national team. The 34-year-old joined Port FC (Thailand) in 2025 but has been with the Iraqi national team for over a decade.

Furthermore, Sulaka's teammate on the Iraqi national team, Frans Putros, also features in the World Cup as a player currently competing in Southeast Asia. This center-back is currently with Persib Bandung, the club that just won the 2025/26 Liga 1 Indonesia championship.

Meanwhile, none of the foreign players or naturalized players currently playing in the 2025/26 V-League have been called up to their national teams for the 2026 World Cup.

The most regrettable case is that of Percy Tau, a former Nam Dinh player. The South African attacking midfielder was part of his national team's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. However, at the last minute, coach Hugo Broos did not include him in the final squad after a long period affected by injuries and a decline in form.

Instead, South Africa's forward line at the 2026 World Cup includes names such as Lyle Foster, Iqraam Rayners, Evidence Makgopa, Relebohile Mofokeng, and Oswin Appollis.

In fact, the absence of any player currently playing in the V-League at the 2026 World Cup is not too surprising to experts and Vietnamese football fans.

While players from strong Asian national teams do not choose the V-League as a destination at club level, most foreign players currently competing in Vietnam's top league, mainly from Brazil or some European countries, are not yet of sufficient quality to compete for places on their national teams.

Competition for World Cup spots on national teams is always extremely fierce. Without high professional skills, consistent form, and alignment with the coaching staff's tactical requirements, the chance of appearing at the world's biggest football festival is nearly zero.

Currently, Vietnamese football still harbors ambitions to participate in the 2030 World Cup or further ahead the 2034 World Cup through its own strength. As for the 2026 World Cup, only one player of Vietnamese origin has been given the opportunity to compete, namely Ibrahim Maza, but wearing the colors of the Algeria national team.

The 2025/26 season will conclude after the play-off match on June 12th, which is also when domestic football must temporarily give way to the World Cup.