Vietnam U17 produced one of the most memorable milestones in the country’s football history after qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup for the first time ever.

The achievement was not built on luck, but on courage, fighting spirit and the remarkable growth of a young squad guided by head coach Cristiano Roland.

Even during the qualifiers for the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup, Vietnam U17 had already shown their impressive strength.

Cristiano Roland’s side won all five matches, scored 30 goals and did not concede a single time.

Big victories over Singapore, Malaysia and the Northern Mariana Islands helped Vietnam finish top of the group with a near-perfect record, securing a place at the AFC U17 Asian Cup finals in Saudi Arabia.

At the 2026 AFC U17 Asian Cup, Vietnam were drawn into a difficult group alongside South Korea, Yemen and the UAE.

Yet the young Vietnamese players surprised Asia with their fearless and confident style of football.

Vietnam opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Yemen thanks to a decisive goal from Quang Hung.

Although they lost to South Korea in the second match, the team in red still kept their hopes of progression alive.

The decisive clash against the UAE became a historic landmark.

Vietnam conceded after just 16 seconds, but the young players refused to collapse.

They fought with everything they had.

Nguyen Luc, Minh Thuy and Manh Cuong all found the net as Vietnam produced a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory in one of the tournament’s most emotional matches.

That victory not only sent Vietnam U17 into the quarter-finals of the AFC U17 Asian Cup, but also officially secured their place at the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup.

For the first time, Vietnam’s U17 team will compete on the biggest stage in world youth football.

Wearing the red flag with a yellow star on their chests, these young players inspired fans with their refusal to give up.

Their journey to the World Cup stands as proof that Vietnamese youth football can dream big on the global stage.

Ngoc Huy