Breaking Vietnamese football news today, June 12: Vietnam's national team remains in the global top 100; Hoang Duc refrained from celebrating his goal against The Cong Viettel.

In discussion with Sports and Culture about the world's biggest football festival, Nhat Minh, a defender for the U23 and Vietnam national team, pays special attention to the Japanese team. The player, who just finished a meaningful season with Hai Phong Club, hopes the 'Blue Samurai' can reach the tournament final to face England.

VFF Chairman Tran Quoc Tuan has received an official invitation from FIFA to attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico. The invitation, sent by Gianni Infantino, reflects FIFA's appreciation for the contributions of Vietnamese football and the cooperative relationship between FIFA and the VFF.

Real Madrid has indeed successfully intercepted Barcelona to sign Manchester City captain B席 on a free transfer! According to the latest report from Italian transfer expert Romano, Real Madrid will sign B席 on a free transfer, and the two sides have already reached a 2+1 agreement—a two-year contract with an option for an additional year.

Manchester United has abandoned the chase for Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson. The club's two main targets are West Ham's Matheus Fernandes and Bournemouth's Alex Scott. Among them, 21-year-old M. Fernandes is the Red Devils' top choice. He is not participating in the World Cup, so it will not affect the transfer. A bid is expected in the coming days, as transfer expert Ben Jacobs said: "M. Fernandes's destination should be decided within this month."

On June 12, Beijing time, the 2026 FIFA World Cup got underway. The first match was between host nation Mexico and South Africa. After 90 intense minutes, the game turned one-sided, with 10-man Mexico defeating 9-man South Africa 2-0 to secure a winning start. The overall quality of the match was not high, with too many fouls—so many that a hat-trick of red cards was shown.

In the opening Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Mexico — the first of the three host nations to take the pitch — faced South Africa at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium. In the 49th minute, South African defensive midfielder Sisole pulled down Gutierrez while tracking back, earning a straight red card — the first red card of the tournament.

In the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, Group A's first round, Mexico — the first of the three co-hosts to take the field — faced South Africa at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. Less than nine minutes in, South Africa made a backfield passing error that was intercepted. Mexican No. 16 Quiñones gathered the ball, cut into the penalty area, and slotted home to score the tournament's inaugural goal.

In the early hours of June 12th Beijing time, the Japan national team officially announced that captain and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo has withdrawn from the World Cup squad due to injury. Twenty-six-year-old forward Shuto Machino, who plays for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, has been called up as his replacement. Subsequently, Endo posted on his personal social media to declare the end of his international career.

U19 Indonesia were knocked out in the semifinals of the 2026 U19 Southeast Asia Championship after suffering a late defeat to U19 Australia.