Vietnamese football solves scheduling conflicts.
The AFC's change to the calendar means the 2027 Asian Cup and the 2028 Asian Under-23 Championship will be held almost simultaneously, posing a difficult challenge for associations with teams competing in both tournaments, including Vietnam.
According to the AFC's latest decision, the 2028 AFC U23 Championship will take place from January 4 to 22, 2028. Meanwhile, the 2027 Asian Cup, originally scheduled for early 2027, has also been postponed by the AFC (due to political issues) and will now be held from December 23, 2027, to January 21, 2028. These two major men's football tournaments in Asia, both at senior national team and U23 level, will therefore take place almost simultaneously, finishing just one day apart.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) must therefore reconsider its schedule and plans, as the senior Vietnamese national team has already secured a spot in the 2027 Asian Cup and the U23 national team has long been a fixture in the Asian U23 Championship. Furthermore, the 2028 Asian U23 Championship finals also serves as a qualifier for the 2028 Olympic Games, making it far more important than previous tournaments. For a football system with a limited squad, concentrating resources on multiple major competitions in a short period presents a significant challenge.
The most complex issue concerns resource allocation. In theory, the Vietnam U23 national team would need the best players in their age group to compete in the Asian U23 Championship, with the hope of qualifying for the Olympics. However, in reality, many of the most promising young players are already key players in the senior national team, like Dinh Bac, or are being tested by coach Kim Sang-sik ahead of the 2027 Asian Cup, like Le Phat. When the two tournaments coincide, it's almost certain that the most promising young players will be prioritized for the senior national team, a more prestigious competition with greater pressure to perform, rather than representing the Vietnam U23 national team.
This means that the Vietnam U23 national team will likely compete in the 2028 Asian U23 Championship without its strongest players. The challenge isn't just choosing who to field in which position, but also building two quality squads, with backup plans to avoid being caught off guard.
The selection of coaches for each team also needs to be resolved as soon as possible, and the answer may have already been partially determined by this November training camp: due to overlapping commitments, Mr. Kim will directly lead the senior national team in the three-team tournament in Ninh Binh, while coach Dinh Hong Vinh will take on the role of coach of the Vietnam U23 national team at the 2026 Gia Lai VTV Cup. This can be seen as a test, a hint at a solution to the larger problem that awaits us.
Looking at the schedule in more detail, before competing in the 2028 Asian Under-23 Championship, the Vietnam U23 national team has another commitment: the 34th Southeast Asian Games, which will be held in Malaysia from September 18 to 29, 2027. Clearly, this could be seen as a solution to the staffing problem: since the 34th Southeast Asian Games and the 2028 Asian Under-23 Championship do not overlap, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) can fully entrust coach Dinh Hong Vinh with the primary responsibility of leading the Vietnam U23 national team in both tournaments. This also allows the young players to gain playing experience, aiming to qualify for the 2028 Olympics. In the meantime, coach Kim can focus all his efforts on the senior national team ahead of the 2027 Asian Cup.
If this is indeed the option being considered, a clear division of labor from now on will help both teams prepare coherently and avoid being caught off guard at the last minute. With time running out, the VFF and the national team's coaching staff at all levels must quickly identify priority objectives for each tournament and develop a reasonable training program for each group of players, so that Vietnamese football doesn't have to sacrifice success in one tournament for success in another.