Football

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese national team are scheduled to play friendly matches against India and Lebanon during FIFA Days in October.

"We have invited India and Lebanon to be friendly opponents of the Vietnamese team. The details are currently being finalised before an official announcement," said Dương Nghiệp Khôi, General Secretary of the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF).

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has also confirmed that their national team will travel to Việt Nam to compete in the international friendly tournament organised by the VFF, though the specific location has not yet been chosen.

India and Lebanon are ranked 124th and 117th respectively in the latest FIFA rankings, so compared to Việt Nam's ranking of 116th, they are considered to be at a similar level.

The Vietnamese team defeated India 3-0 in a friendly match at Thống Nhất Stadium in HCM City back in 2022, which was when South Korean coach Park Hang-seo introduced quality players like Khuất Văn Khang and Phạm Đình Duy.

Coach Park is currently one of the candidates for the vacant head coach position of the Indian national team, after India parted ways with coach Igor Stimac for failing to lead the team to the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.

The AIFF may consider appointing coach Park, given his successful tenure with Việt Nam from 2017 to 2023, which included a runner-up spot at the AFC U23 Championship, winning the AFF Cup 2018, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, and securing Việt Nam's first-ever third-round World Cup qualification, as well as two gold medals at the SEA Games.

With the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers approaching, finding high-quality friendly opponents is crucial for Việt Nam, India and Lebanon, as they aim to accumulate points and improve their FIFA rankings to secure favourable seedings for upcoming competitions.

The VFF hopes that the October FIFA Days will be an important opportunity for Việt Nam's coach Kim Sang-sik and his team to prepare for the 2024 ASEAN Cup, which will begin in November.

Under coach Kim's leadership, Việt Nam won 3-2 against the Philippines and lost 1-3 to Iraq in the final round of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. VNS