U16 Vietnam attends international tournament in China, aiming for 2026 Asian qualifiers

This year's tournament brings together four youth teams: U16 Vietnam, U16 Australia, U16 Saudi Arabia and host U16 China. This is an important playground to help teams have more opportunities to compete, practice and gain experience before the 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers scheduled to start next November.

To prepare for the tournament, Vietnam U16 will gather in Hanoi in mid-May. The team will have about two weeks of training before moving to China.

The squad participating in the tournament includes players born in 2009 or later, many of whom have been called up and trained with the Vietnam U17 team in preparation for the 2025 AFC U17 Championship.

Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc at the 2025 AFC U17 Championship

Standing out on the list are two talented young midfielders: Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc and Nguyen Van Duong. Chu Ngoc Nguyen Luc started all three matches at the 2025 AFC U17 Championship and left a clear mark in the midfield. Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Duong had the opportunity to play in the 79th minute of the 1-1 draw against Japan U17, helping him gain more international experience.

With a long-term orientation in youth football development, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) creating conditions for the U16 team to participate in a quality tournament like in China is a strategic step.

This not only helps players improve their expertise and competitive spirit, but is also an important preparation step for the upcoming journey to conquer the 2026 AFC U17 Qualifiers.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/u16-viet-nam-du-giai-quoc-te-trung-quoc-huong-toi-vong-loai-chau-a-2026-196250423154103089.htm