Asiad 2026: Vietnam U23's Quarterfinal Target and the Real Test Behind the Door

The 23-man squad of Vietnam U23 for Asiad 2026 has just been finalised. The moment I looked at that list, one detail stood out that the media usually skips over: of the 23 names, 16 had already appeared at the July training camp. That number is not a meaningless statistic. It is evidence of a continuity rarely seen in Vietnamese youth football. The other seven names compared with the most recent camp — Ly Duc, Quang Kiet, Pham Minh Phuc, Le Phat, Ngoc My and two others — are not new players either. They are already inside the system, already familiar with the way it operates, they simply had never been called up at the same time. The working time shared by that group of 16 creates a certain stability: from pressing patterns, transition habits, to mutual understanding between positions. In football, that understanding is sometimes worth more than individual talent. The VFF has set a quarterfinal target, and this milestone is entirely within reach for Vietnam U23 given the current squad. But before dissecting that goal, we need to rebuild the context properly. Most of the 23 players at Asiad have already spent one or two seasons playing in the V-League, alongside youth-level experience, or most recently the AFC U23 Asian Cup. So when they enter Asiad, the red-shirted team remains among the most experienced squads in the tournament. This is a decisive difference from many previous continental games, when Vietnam U23 usually entered with a very young squad lacking top-level match experience. V-League experience is not just a number of matches. It is the ability to withstand pressure in genuinely competitive games, where every point directly affects a club's standing. A 20-year-old who has played in a relegation-deciding V-League match grows faster than many would expect. That pressure forges character in a way friendlies never can. Vietnam U23 share a group with Uzbekistan, Kuwait and the Philippines. Uzbekistan are the most dangerous opponent. Uzbek youth football has established its continental standing, with physical foundations, tactical discipline and tight organisational structure. Facing them is a genuine test for Vietnam U23's defence and endurance. But Kuwait and the Philippines are two opponents against whom, if Vietnam U23 calculate correctly, they can take full points. The chance to compete for the top two spots remains wide open. If they make good use of those two matches, coach Dinh Hong Vinh's students can absolutely earn a quarterfinal ticket. They can even think about matching the achievements of their predecessors, reaching the semifinals or even winning a medal. The strength of this framework lies in midfield. The group that has played together since July understands each other's pressing rhythm, knowing when to push high and when to drop into a defensive block. The ability to switch quickly from defence to attack is what Vietnam U23 need to maximise against physically stronger opponents like Uzbekistan. It is not a flashy style, but it is effective. In defence, V-League experience plays a particularly important role. Centre-backs who have faced foreign strikers in the V-League will be less surprised by Uzbek players with pace and power. The calmness in reading situations, something only gained through real match experience, is a major asset for this generation. The attack is an open question. Vietnam U23 need someone who can create a breakthrough in matches where chances will be very few. At the U23 Asian Cup, this team showed an ability to convert chances, but in a longer tournament like Asiad, the stability of the attack will be the key factor. If the attack is not sharp enough, Vietnam U23 will have to rely on safe draws, and that always carries risk. Another point to note about the schedule. Asiad has a dense match calendar, and the ability to rotate the squad will decide the team's results. A squad with good depth like the current Vietnam U23 has an advantage here. The fact that 16 players have worked together makes it easier for coach Dinh Hong Vinh to substitute without losing cohesion. The Incheon lesson taught me that rumour is the wind, and verification is the door. In youth football, the same holds true: numbers on paper, names that sound appealing, are meaningless if not verified by real coherence on the pitch. The fact that 16 players have worked together since July is a form of verification. They have been tested, made mistakes, corrected them — before the tournament began. From another angle, I once witnessed the Kim Min-jae deal collapse in the blink of an eye, and I understand the price of haste. In Vietnam U23's case, haste can come from underestimating Kuwait and the Philippines, or from placing too much expectation on a single match against Uzbekistan. Both are dangerous. A campaign in a short tournament like Asiad is decided by risk management, not talent alone. But the quarterfinal is not the final destination. And this is the part of the story few mention. How far Vietnam U23 will go at Asiad 2026 only reality can answer. But one thing is certain: the continent's biggest multi-sport event is being used by coach Kim Sang Sik as another examination for the U23 generation that won bronze at the U23 Asian Cup earlier this year. That is also why the VFF and coach Kim Sang Sik changed the plan — from the U21 team to a nearly strongest squad — a move whose meaning goes beyond a single tournament. Concretely, coach Kim Sang Sik has certainly been planning the future of the Vietnam national team, after the 2027 Asian Cup. Of course the current Vietnam U23 players sit inside that plan. To have a chance, the U23 players must put themselves in the Korean strategist's line of sight through performances against the quality opponents they will meet at this Asiad. Here, I want to state clearly something people often misunderstand: Asiad is not a ticket to immediately step up to the national team. It is regarded as a key for Vietnam U23 to prove their ability to Mr Kim Sang Sik as well as to club coaches. Only by gradually securing a starting spot in the V-League does the door to the national team open wider. Beyond Asiad, Vietnam U23 players must also prove themselves through consistent performances in the V-League or in the First Division, whose new season has just kicked off. These are two sides of the same examination. One good match at Asiad can open a chance, but only consistent club-level performances can keep that chance. There is a paradox I have observed over many years of following youth football. Players are often judged by moments of brilliance in short tournaments. But what truly decides their career is not one match at Asiad, but the ability to maintain form over a long season. The glow of a tournament fades easily. Only endurance survives. Based on my experience of following matches, I notice a recurring pattern: the most successful young players are not the ones who play best in a single tournament, but the ones who know how to turn that tournament into a springboard. They return to their clubs, win a starting spot, and from there build a career step by step. Asiad can be a springboard, but it only has value if the player knows how to take the next step after the tournament ends. Behind every deal is a story never told through a contract. Here too. Behind the quarterfinal target the VFF has set, there is a larger story about building the next generation for the Vietnam national team. Asiad 2026 is not just a tournament. It is one link in a long-term plan, where every match is data for coach Kim Sang Sik to assess, and every player is a variable in the equation of the future. Asiad 2026 is a door. But that door only opens for those who knock at the right time and with enough patience. Vietnam U23 hold in their hands a stable framework, a schedule they can overcome, and a coach waiting for an answer from them. Now is the time for the young players to write that answer with their own feet — because a quarterfinal ticket is the beginning, not the destination.