U17 Vietnam conclude the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 journey, opening the door to the grand stage of the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026
On the afternoon of May 18, Vietnam’s U17 national team arrived at Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi, bringing to a close a memorable campaign at the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 and securing a place at the FIFA U17 World Cup.
19/05/2026 09:09:34
A large number of fans gathered at the airport to welcome and congratulate coach Cristiano Roland and players following their historic achievement of qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026. Representing the leadership of the Vietnam Football Federation at the airport to greet, encourage and congratulate the team were Mr. Nguyễn Quốc Hội – Standing Member of the VFF Executive Committee, and Mr. Nguyễn Minh Châu – Deputy General Secretary of the VFF.
Concluding their journey at the continental tournament, Vietnam U17 left a remarkable mark by securing, for the first time in history, a place at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 finals.
In the group stage, Vietnam U17 began with a 1-0 victory over U17 Yemen, before suffering a heartbreaking defeat against U17 Korea Republic. The team then produced an emotional comeback to beat U17 UAE 3-2 in their final group match, sealing a place in the quarter-finals along with a ticket to the World Cup.
Although their journey ended in the quarter-finals following a defeat to U17 Australia, coach Cristiano Roland and his players still accomplished the most important objective that Vietnamese youth football had targeted at this year’s tournament.
Notably, Vietnam U17 became the only Southeast Asian representative to qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026, while also earning a place among the nine Asian teams set to compete at the world’s biggest youth football festival.
Speaking to the media at Nội Bài International Airport, coach Cristiano Roland said he was extremely proud to have helped his players achieve two major goals within a short period of time: winning the ASEAN U17 Championship 2026 and securing a place at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026.
“All of the objectives we set out have been accomplished. We had two goals in our plan and we achieved both of them. Therefore, I feel extremely proud of what the players have done, of the entire coaching staff, as well as everyone who has always stood by us, supported us and been ready to help the team. The truth is that both objectives have been completed and all of us are very happy,” coach Cristiano Roland said.
The Brazilian coach also could not hide his emotions when reflecting on the journey with his players. “It has been a tremendous effort. After the ASEAN tournament, we became stronger. All three matches in the group stage of the AFC U17 Asian Cup were very difficult and were decided by the smallest details. The players’ efforts were truly enormous,” he said.
Coach Cristiano Roland also stressed that the team still has a lot of work to do in pursuit of bigger goals at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026. “Everything we planned was very important, but we understand that we need to do even more. I also need more time with the players. We want more, and Vietnam deserves even better things. My goal is always to keep improving day by day,” the Brazilian tactician emphasized.
Looking back on the journeys of two consecutive Vietnam U17 generations at the AFC U17 Asian Cup finals, coach Cristiano Roland said the lessons learned from last year’s disappointment helped the team mature and ultimately turn their World Cup dream into reality this year.
“These are two generations that we prepared with the goal of reaching the World Cup. The previous generation was unfortunate because of small details, including physical issues. This year, mistakes still happened, but fortunately they came in the second match. By the third game, we did not repeat them and managed to win to secure our World Cup ticket.”
“This is a learning process. The players learned from the mistakes of the previous generation in order to improve themselves. I am very proud of my players. Now, they need to keep thinking about improving even more as we look ahead to the World Cup,” coach Cristiano Roland affirmed.
According to the schedule, the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 will take place from November 19 to December 13, 2026 in Qatar. It will mark the second edition of the tournament to feature an expanded format of 48 participating teams. Since 2025, FIFA has also decided to stage the U17 World Cup annually instead of every two years as before.
Under the published schedule, the official FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 draw ceremony will take place on May 21 at FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
Following historic milestones at both regional and continental level, Vietnam U17 are now opening a promising new chapter on the World Cup stage — the pinnacle competition for the U17 age group — where the young players are expected to continue gaining valuable experience, growing in maturity, and becoming a quality pipeline for the Vietnam national team in the near future.
