
After the Asian Cup 2023, the Vietnam national team concluded the lunar year of the Water Rabbit with results that fell short of expectations. This sets up a challenging journey for the team’s aspirations to achieve impressive feats in the year of the Dragon 2024.
Asian Cup 2023 – A Tournament Below Expectations
Ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2023, there was not an abundance of confidence in Vietnam’s ability to advance far, as the team was in a transitional phase, and the new head coach, Philippe Troussier, was still trying to implement a new philosophy among the players.
Furthermore, a difficult group stage with Iraq, Indonesia, and Japan made fans skeptical of the team’s ability to progress beyond the group stage.
However, this did not mean that fans were ready to easily accept defeats. Vietnam’s losses in all three matches, especially the almost ‘helpless’ defeat to Indonesia, left the majority of domestic fans dissatisfied with the performance of Troussier’s squad.
Whether acknowledged or not, Vietnam’s performance in the Asian Cup 2023 was the country’s worst in the tournament’s history. In its previous two participations in 2007 and 2019, Vietnam managed to reach the quarterfinals and secure a win in the group stage, starkly contrasting with the three consecutive losses in this year’s tournament.
While the tournament in Qatar wasn’t entirely bleak, as the players showed glimpses of the playing philosophy Troussier wants to convey and had cohesive team moments under pressure, such as the equalizing 2-2 goal against Iraq, these highlights were too few compared to the issues Vietnam faced in Qatar. These issues are not new to Troussier, who has been leading Vietnam for nearly a year without finding a definitive solution. These include the inexperience of young players, questions about the contributions of older players who were successful under coach Park Hang Seo but have not been trusted by Troussier.
Challenges Ahead in 2024
The reason the disappointing journey at the Asian Cup 2023 creates challenges for Vietnam’s aspirations in 2024 is because we will face two of the three opponents from the Asian Cup in the upcoming path – Iraq and Indonesia.
In recent months, Vietnam has faced Iraq and Indonesia three times each, with all losses, genuinely concerning for fans with another three matches against these opponents in 2024.
Specifically, in March, Vietnam will play two matches against Indonesia and then visit Iraq in June. These matches are part of the second round of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, along with a match against the Philippines in June.
Vietnam’s remaining four matches in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will take place between March and June 2024. Achieving good results in these matches could propel Vietnam into the third qualifying round; failure would see Troussier’s squad say goodbye to the World Cup 2026 dream two years before the tournament.
The two matches against Indonesia will be crucial. Achieving good results, ranging from 4-6 points, could keep Vietnam hopeful for the third round later in the year.
However, given the recent performance at the Asian Cup, securing favorable results against Indonesia in March won’t be easy, especially with limited preparation time and predictions of Indonesia’s continued strength as they finalize naturalization procedures for 4-5 players from Europe.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has set a priority for Vietnam and coach Troussier to reach the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, promising a significant challenge for the French coach, his staff, and the players.
Failing to achieve this goal could lead to a ‘blank’ year in 2025 for top-tier football competitions, as the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers won’t take place until 2026. This scenario is something no domestic fan would wish for in the national team’s quest for the World Cup stage.
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