🇻🇳 Is Vietnam finally realising its potential as a football nation?

The Golden Star Warriors open their ASEAN Championship defence on Friday!

More Asian nations participated in the 2026 World Cup than any other World Cup in history

All nine nations exited in the group stage or round of 32, but Asian football was represented in a way it had never been before. Nobody could ever doubt the region’s fervour for the sport.

Vietnam watched from home. They’ve watched every World Cup from home having never qualified in 51 years of trying as a unified nation. It would be easy to write off the country as a footballing backwater.

That, however, would be in ignorance of the thriving football scene in Vietnam.

The country of over 100 million people is one of the sport’s largest sleeping giants and there are signs that it is finally waking up. The 2030 World Cup could be in their sights.