Advantages of the Vietnamese team before the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia

Vietnam team is in Group F with Iraq, Philippines and Indonesia in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.

Vietnam team lineup in a friendly match. (Source: VFF)

The chance of advancing for coach Philippe Troussier's students is not small even though the Vietnamese team has just lost in a series of recent friendly matches.

According to the competition format, in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, the first and second teams in each group will qualify for the third qualifying round and qualify for the Asian Cup.

The opportunity for the Vietnamese team to achieve this important goal is very high if the players play at their best. In Group F, Iraq is considered our strongest opponent and is expected to win a place in the third qualifying round.

In the last 4 confrontations with Iraq, the Vietnamese team did not win any match, losing 3 of them.

Apart from the strong Iraq, the Vietnamese team can completely achieve favorable results against the remaining two teams, Indonesia and the Philippines, to aim for at least second place in this group and qualify for the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup as well as the right to participate in the Asian Cup.

Indonesia and the Philippines are not really difficult opponents for Coach Troussier's players. History shows that we usually play well when facing these two teams from the same Southeast Asian region.

The Vietnamese team won both the first and second leg matches against the Indonesian team in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. In the last 6 matches, the Vietnamese team was undefeated against Indonesia, including 3 wins.

If the Vietnamese team has the strongest squad and the players play at their best, they can completely achieve positive results once again when meeting the Indonesian team of coach Shin Tae Yong.

The Philippines is not a difficult opponent for the Vietnamese team. The last time the Vietnamese team lost to them was in 2012. In the last 5 matches against the Philippines, the Vietnamese team won all.

If they can get favorable results against Indonesia and the Philippines (a feasible task), Coach Troussier's students will be considered certain to qualify for the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

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