Việt Nam national U19 team. – Photo netnews.vn
HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's national U19 team will compete in the Toulon Tournament to be held in France in the summer of 2020, the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) has announced.
“Việt Nam U19 team will compete in the Toulon Tournament in France, which attracts many strong teams. In Asia, only Japan and Qatar often take part in this event. The event also drew many South American teams such as Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina,” said Trần Quốc Tuấn, vice chairman of the VFF.
According to the VFF, the summer tournament will begin at an ideal time for the national U19 team as many members of the squad will be finishing the V.League 1 season.
The annual tournament, officially known as the ‘Festival International Espoirs – Tournoi Maurice Revello’, was first held in 1967. It is deemed the most prestigious of all friendly tournaments involving U-21 teams, and considered an unofficial world championship before FIFA introduced the official World Youth Cup in 1977.
Previous versions of tournament have seen an array of future stars showcase their talents, including Jean-Pierre Papin, Thierry Henry, Javier Mascherano, Hugo Lloris, Alan Shearer, and Juan Román Riquelme.
The event will be a warm-up for the Vietnamese side to prepare for the AFC U19 Championships Finals 2020 in Uzbekistan in October.
Việt Nam have progressed as one of best second-placed sides from the 2020 AFC U19 Championship Qualifiers. They finished second in Group J level on seven points with Japan and above Mongolia and Guam. — VNS
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