Does Vietnam stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup?

[ASEAN NOW News]

As Vietnam's football team enters the final qualifying round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, what are their realistic chances?.

 

Golden Star Warriors

 

For Vietnam’s chance in the final round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where they are in group B with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, and Oman, Vietnam Times’s  football expert Doan Minh Xuong said Vietnam should be realistic.

 

"I must say this is the most successful landmark in the history of Vietnamese football. It surpasses the success of the AFF Cup title, SEA Games gold, or being runner-up at AFC U23 Championship in 2018. It can create an effect on the development of tournaments, clubs, and players."

 

Via the final qualification round, he said, Vietnam will know where they stand on the Asian football map.

 

Vietnamese football is having its most talented generation yet, and in the next 10 games, people will know the true level of this generation.

 

 

Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald on July 1 ran an article saying Vietnam can cause some shocks on its first appearance in the final stages of World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

 

It went on to say that as one of the fastest-growing football countries in Asia, Vietnam has invested a lot in football programs and their promising youth are now advancing to the senior team, they have incredible talents like Nguyen Quang Hai.

 

Facing Asia’s top teams in the World Cup final qualifying round, could be Vietnam’s stepping stone to realize their 2026 World Cup dream, said football expert Doan Minh Xuong.

 

"Except for Vietnam and Oman, all group B teams had played at World Cup before. We can dream, but we also must be realistic. The level of other teams is above Vietnam. Perhaps, we should focus on beating teams like Oman and China so we could avoid ending at the bottom. This round is the premise for Vietnam to evaluate their level accurately and aim for the next World Cup in 2026, where Asia will have 8.5 slots instead of the present 4.5," the VN Express quoted the expert.

 

Therefore, this is still a particularly good opportunity for the Golden Star Warriors to compete against the strongest teams in Asia and gain valuable experiences for their development. It also provides a premise to achieve further goals in the long-term plan of Vietnamese football.

 

Regardless of the final result in the upcoming qualifying round, with at least 10 qualifying matches to be played by the Vietnamese team from the beginning of September this year to March 2022, this is a "golden" opportunity for the players to practice and accumulate experience to become more mature in the future.

 

And then, the 2026 FIFA World Cup may be the right time for them, when the tournament increases the number of participating teams from 32 to 48, with 8.5 slots for Asian representatives, instead of the current 4.5, said Nhan Dan.