Schedule and fixtures of the Vietnam team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia

The Vietnamese team will compete with the Philippines and Iraq in the first two matches of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia this November.

The Vietnam team practices at night at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Philippines. (Source: VFF)

The Vietnamese team is in Group F of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia, along with Iraq, Indonesia and the Philippines.

According to the schedule, the Vietnamese team will begin their journey in the second qualifying round with a visit to Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila (Philippines) at 6:00 p.m. on November 16.

According to AFC's assignment, the referee team for this first match is from Uzbekistan. The main referee is Mr. Rustam Lutfullin, the assistants are Alisher Usmonov and Ruslan Serazitdinov.

The goal that coach Philippe Troussier and his team are aiming for is to win all 3 points on the opening day to have an advantage in the race for tickets to the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

This is a task that the Vietnamese team can complete if they play at their best.

After this match, the Vietnamese team will return to Hanoi to prepare for the match against the Iraqi team at My Dinh National Stadium on November 21.

Iraq is considered the strongest team in Group F. Therefore, a victory against this team will give Vietnam a great chance in the competition.

However, this is not easy for coach Philippe Troussier and his team. In the last 4 matches against Iraq, the Vietnamese team did not win any match, losing 3 of them.

After the match with Iraq, the Vietnamese team will have more time to prepare before entering the third round by welcoming the Indonesian team at home on March 21, 2024.

Five days later, the Vietnamese team will meet the Indonesian team again in the fourth match of Group F with an away match at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

On June 6, 2024, the Vietnamese team will face the Philippines team at My Dinh Stadium, before concluding the journey in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup with a match away to the Iraqi team on June 11, 2024.

Previously, on November 13, coach Philippe Troussier and 28 players traveled to Manila to prepare for the opening match against the Philippines team at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Speaking before the match, Mr. Troussie affirmed: “The whole team is fully aware of the importance of the upcoming match. Over the past time, we have focused on training and are ready to face the challenge.

The whole team is determined to make continuous efforts for the progress of Vietnamese football with the highest goal being the World Cup. We hope to continue to receive support from everyone."

The regulations allow each team to register a maximum of 23 players, including 3 goalkeepers. Therefore, before the opening match against the Philippines, 5 more players will have to say goodbye to their teammates.

As planned, the official list for the match against the Philippines team was announced by coach Philippe Troussier this morning (November 15).