HA NOI — Viet Nam’s U20 squad under coach Hoang Anh Tuan will train in Europe in preparation for their World Cup campaign next year in South Korea.

“They must carefully prepare for their World Cup debut. The Viet Nam Football Federation (VFF) has contacted its partners, so the team will leave for a long practice in Germany in March. They will also compete with local clubs here,” VFF Vice President Tran Quoc Tuan said.

Viet Nam made a bang when they entered the semifinals of the Asian U19 Football Championship in October. As a result, they won a berth in the World Cup for the first time in history.

The FIFA U20 World Cup, which attracts 24 of the world’s strongest teams, will be held from May 20 to June 6 in six cities in South Korea. The draw will be held on March 15.

Technical director Jurgen Gede said since it was Viet Nam’s first time at the tournament, it was easy to understand why the team were undervalued. However, he believed Viet Nam could surprise everyone as they did during the Asian tournament. — VNS