Hanoi, 27 August 2026 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited the construction site of the new 60,000-seat PVF Stadium on the morning of August 27, one of his final engagements before concluding his visit to Vietnam.
Infantino was accompanied by FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström, Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Tran Quoc Tuan and representatives of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).
The FIFA President spent around 15 minutes inside the construction site, inspecting different sections of the project and observing its progress. He also met and interacted with engineers and workers involved in building the stadium.
Located in Nghia Tru Commune, Hung Yen Province, PVF Stadium broke ground on October 19, 2025 and is scheduled for completion in March 2027.
The 60,000-seat venue is being designed with a retractable steel-domed roof and, notably, without an athletics track surrounding the pitch. The latter feature is relatively uncommon among major Vietnamese stadiums and will make the venue more specifically suited to football.
Although construction remains ongoing, Infantino said he could already see the shape of the future stadium taking form. He expressed confidence that the project could represent a major step forward for Vietnam’s sporting infrastructure and strengthen the country’s ability to host major football matches and international events.
Once completed, PVF Stadium is expected to become Vietnam’s largest operational stadium and the second major stadium in Southeast Asia to feature a retractable roof after Singapore’s National Stadium.
Its 60,000 capacity would also rank among the largest in the region, behind Malaysia’s Bukit Jalil National Stadium and Indonesia’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Vietnam is also developing the VinFast-Trong Dong Stadium as part of the Hanoi International Sports Urban Area project. The planned 135,000-seat venue is expected to feature a retractable roof and is targeted to begin operations in July 2027.
After inspecting the PVF Stadium project, Infantino visited the PVF Youth Football Training Center, where he met young players. Hanoi Police FC also use the facility as a training base, with head coach Mano Polking taking part in the interaction.
Infantino Witnesses Vietnam’s ASEAN Cup Celebrations
Infantino arrived in Vietnam on August 26. Following a meeting with Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President To Lam, he traveled to My Dinh National Stadium to attend the second leg of the ASEAN Cup 2026 final between Vietnam and Thailand.
The match finished 2-2, allowing Vietnam to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory and secure their fourth Southeast Asian championship.
Infantino praised the passionate atmosphere inside a packed My Dinh and also witnessed the enormous celebrations that followed Vietnam’s successful title defense.
“Millions of people in Vietnam celebrated through the night after their national team successfully defended the title. Thailand also deserve praise for fighting bravely in a thrilling second leg of the final,” Infantino wrote on Instagram.
He added:
“These moments demonstrate the values FIFA strives for as we work alongside our member associations to develop football and bring the very best of this beautiful game everywhere.”
The trip marked another chapter in Infantino’s relationship with Vietnamese football. He first visited the country in February 2018, shortly after Vietnam’s U23 team, coached by Park Hang-seo, finished runners-up at the AFC U23 Championship.
At the time, Infantino praised Vietnam’s growing football credentials, highlighting the country’s U23 achievement as well as its appearances at the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup and 2017 FIFA U20 World Cup.
Infantino has served as FIFA President since 2016, when he succeeded Sepp Blatter. He was re-elected in 2019 and has overseen major changes to FIFA competitions, including preparations for the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
His latest visit to Vietnam combined high-level meetings, attendance at one of Southeast Asian football’s biggest matches and a first-hand look at the country’s expanding football infrastructure, with the PVF Stadium project providing a glimpse of Vietnam’s ambitions to host larger international football events in the future.
VSN/RPT
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