The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said that My Dinh Stadium is expected to be chosen as the home stadium of the Vietnam national football team in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. The first home match of the Vietnam national football team (in the second round) will take place on November 21 - the match against the Iraq national football team.
My Dinh Stadium has been criticized many times for its deterioration in both the quality of the pitch and the auxiliary facilities and functional rooms. The last time the Vietnamese team played at My Dinh Stadium was at the AFF Cup 2022 - the first leg of the final against Thailand. In 2023, coach Philippe Troussier and his team will play 3 friendly matches at Lach Tray Stadium, Hai Phong (against Hong Kong (China)) and Thien Truong Stadium, Nam Dinh (against Syria and Palestine).
My Dinh Stadium is expected to be the home stadium of the Vietnamese team in the match against Iraq.
The Vietnamese team has just had 3 more friendly matches away to prepare for the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Coach Troussier and his team lost 0-2 to China and Uzbekistan, and 0-6 to the Korean team.
With the goal of experimenting, the French coach continuously rotated, creating opportunities for many players. After 6 months of preparation, the Vietnamese team will enter the first official tournament under the new coach, the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. Coach Troussier and his team are in the same group as Iraq, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup will take place from November 2023 to June 2024, with 9 groups of 4 teams each. The teams will compete in a round-robin format, home and away.
The winners and runners-up of each group will advance to the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, and will also participate in the 2027 Asian Cup finals. In the third qualifying round, 18 teams are divided into 3 groups of 6 teams each. The teams will play in a double round-robin format (home and away).
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will hold the draw for the third qualifying round after the second qualifying round ends in June 2024. After the third qualifying round, the top two teams in each group will qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals. The third and fourth-placed teams in each group will advance to the fourth qualifying round.
In the fourth qualifying round, the six teams were divided into two groups of three teams each. The organizers switched to a round-robin format at a centralized venue. The top team in each group will qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The second-placed teams in each group will face each other in a two-legged knockout match (home and away). The winners will advance to an intercontinental play-off.
The Vietnam Football Federation set a target of reaching the third qualifying round before setting the next target for the Vietnam team.
Hoai Duong
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