Leaving behind regrets in Southeast Asia, Vietnam U19 aims for greater goals

Vietnam's U19 squad headed back to the country on June 11 following the end of their journey at the 2026 Southeast Asian U19 Championship in Indonesia.

According to the plan, coach Yutaka Ikeuchi and his players left Medan, transited through Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), and are expected to land in Hanoi at 2:20 PM the same day.

Although they failed to reach the semifinals, Vietnam U19 left many positive impressions at the regional tournament. The red-shirted team started with a 3-0 win over Timor Leste U19, then defeated Myanmar U19 5-0 to build an early advantage in the race for a knockout spot.

In the decisive match against hosts Indonesia U19, Vietnam U19 came very close to securing a semifinal berth before conceding a penalty deep into stoppage time and suffering a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat. That result left them finishing second in Group A.

However, the 2026 ASEAN U19 Championship was just one part of Vietnam U19's preparation roadmap. The most important goal for coach Yutaka Ikeuchi and his squad this year remains the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers.

After returning home, the players will rejoin their respective clubs to continue competing and gaining experience. According to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the team will regroup after the 2026 National U21 Championship concludes, expected in late July, with necessary adjustments to the squad.

Notably, Vietnam U19 will hold a training camp in Japan from August 8 to August 17. This is seen as a crucial preparation phase to help the team refine their playing style and improve professional quality before entering the continental qualifying campaign.

Under the new format from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the 32 teams in the qualifying stage will be divided into eight groups of four, playing a single round-robin. After the qualifiers, the eight group winners and the seven best runners-up will advance to the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup finals in China.

This is also the first time the AFC has implemented a two-tier competition model consisting of a Qualification Phase and a Development Phase. Accordingly, the 12 lower-ranked teams will compete in the Development Phase, while a promotion-relegation mechanism between the two tiers will be established to provide more competitive opportunities for youth football in the region.

In the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers, Vietnam U20 is in Group C alongside Iran, North Korea, and Palestine. This is considered one of the toughest groups, as Iran is a top-seeded team, while North Korea and Palestine both have highly competitive playing styles.

The matches of Group C will take place from August 31 to September 6 at Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho). The VFF is actively coordinating with relevant units to ensure the best preparation for the organization.

The unfortunate defeat in Indonesia certainly leaves many regrets, but for Vietnam U19, it is not the end. The lessons learned from the Southeast Asian tournament will serve as valuable experience for coach Yutaka Ikeuchi and his players as they aim for a bigger goal: securing a spot in the 2027 AFC U20 Asian Cup finals.