Twenty-five Vietnamese players left for Qatar on December 31 to compete at the 2016 Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship.

Tuan Anh (L) and Cong Phuong (R) are among the 25 players who left for Qatar on Dec. 31.

The U23 team will have two weeks for training before the tournament kicks off on January 12.

The team will face Yemen on January 4 and Japan three days later at friendly matches.

Coach Yoshiya Miura will base on the footballers’ performance during these two weeks to make a decision on the official 23-member squad.

The Japanese coach targets Vietnam, which is in the same group with Australia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, will advance to quarter-finals.

The team’s achievement at the Qatar tourney, scheduled to run through January 30, is likely the determinant of Miura’s future in Vietnam.

His contract with the Vietnam Football Federation will be valid through April 2016.

VNA