The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) conducted the draw for the group stage this afternoon. Alongside Indonesia, Vietnam is also grouped with Timor Leste and Myanmar.

Group B includes Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei.

Group C comprises Australia, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

Vietnam's U19 team training at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center in Hanoi on 30/4/2026. *Photo: VFF*.

Teams will compete in a single round-robin format. The three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semifinals. As Group C only has three teams, the second-placed teams from the other two groups will be considered for the best runner-up spot. This format intensifies the competition.

Vietnam has faced Indonesia 7 times in the tournament, securing four wins and one draw. The most memorable encounter between the two teams was at the 2013 tournament in Brunei. A generation of players born in 1995, who later became stars such as Nguyen Cong Phuong, Luong Xuan Truong, and Nguyen Tuan Anh, defeated Indonesia 2-1 in the group stage. However, in the final, a fiercely contested match saw Vietnam draw 0-0 before losing 6-7 in a penalty shootout.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has a perfect record of 5 wins against Timor Leste. Against Myanmar, Vietnam has 6 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses.

In their most recent meetings, Vietnam drew 0-0 with Indonesia in the 2022 group stage, drew 1-1 with Myanmar in the 2024 group stage, and defeated Timor Leste 4-0 in the third-place match in 2016.

Japanese coach Yutaka Ikeuchi (right) leads Vietnam's U19 team. *Photo: VFF*.

Since its inception in 2002, the AFF U19 Championship has been held 19 times, with some editions inviting strong teams like Japan, Iran, South Korea, and Uzbekistan. To date, Thailand and Australia lead with 5 titles each. Following them are Malaysia, Myanmar, and Indonesia with 2 titles each, while Vietnam, Iran, and Japan each have one title.

Vietnam's sole championship victory came in 2007, and they have been runners-up 4 times: in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015. Heading into the 2026 tournament, Vietnam marks 18 years without a championship and 10 years without reaching the final.

Vietnam's U19 team is currently led by Japanese coach Yutaka Ikeuchi. The squad began its second training camp on 29/4 at the Vietnam Youth Football Training Center in Hanoi. Following this, the team will train in Japan from 18/5 to 26/5.

The coaching staff has called up a total of 41 players for evaluation since the beginning of the year. The current squad is not at its full strength, as many players are currently with V-League, First Division, or Second Division teams. Additionally, some players born in 2008 are also preparing for their high school graduation exams.

Hieu Luong