Do Hung Dung said "the preparation process is complete"

According to VFF, on the evening of November 13, the Vietnamese team had its first training session at Rizal Memorial Stadium - the venue for the match against the Philippines team in the opening match of Group F, the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia.

Hung Dung (No. 8) and the players of the Vietnamese national team practice, preparing for the match in the Philippines. (Source: VFF)

Training on the official field helps coach Philippe Troussier's team get familiar with the field and develop a training plan to prepare for the opening match.

Rizal Memorial Stadium is no longer strange to many Vietnamese players, including Do Hung Dung - a player who played and scored on this field when he and the U23 Vietnam team won the gold medal in men's football at the 2019 SEA Games.

Sharing in the first training session, midfielder Do Hung Dung said that having to play on artificial turf is a common difficulty for both teams because the Philippines team only has a few players who are used to playing on this field, the rest are mostly playing abroad and are used to natural turf.

Do Hung Dung also said that the preparation process for the match with the Philippines team of the Vietnamese team has been completed.

According to Hung Dung: "Although the team has only been fully assembled for a few days, we have had 8 months of working with coach Philippe Troussier. The preparation process can be said to be complete. The upcoming match will prove what the players have received and will be able to do from the coaching staff."

The opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup between the Philippines and Vietnam will take place at 6:00 p.m. on November 16.

The Vietnam team currently has 28 players on the list. The regulations of the Charter allow each team to register a maximum of 23 players, including 3 goalkeepers. Therefore, before the opening match against the Philippines team, coach Philippe Troussier will eliminate 5 more players to finalize the official list.

Immediately after the match with the Philippines, the Vietnamese team will return to Hanoi to host strong opponent Iraq at My Dinh National Stadium on November 21.

The Iraqi team is considered the biggest challenge for coach Philippe Troussier and his team in Group F of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. A victory against this opponent will help Vietnam have many advantages to continue.

In the second qualifying round, 36 teams are divided into 9 groups to play a double round-robin (home-away) match, taking place from November 2023 to June 2024. The first and second-placed teams in each group will advance to the third qualifying round (a total of 18 teams), and will also directly qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup finals.

The 18 winners of the second qualifying round will be divided into three groups of six teams each, playing home and away in a round-robin format.

The top two teams in each group qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, while the third and fourth-placed teams (six teams in total) qualify for the fourth round, also known as the Asian play-offs.

The six teams in the Asian play-off round are divided into two groups of three teams each, and will compete in a round-robin format at the venue.

The top two teams will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while the runners-up will play a home-and-away knockout match to determine who will advance to the intercontinental play-off.

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