The regional tournament will see the participation of 24 teams, including Vietnam and those who made it to the third qualification round of the Asian zone for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

According to Windsor John, the AFC’s general secretary, the 2023 Asian Cup will take place in January, 2024, to avoid the hot weather in Qatar.

Most recently, 2022 saw Qatar host the FIFA World Cup finals for the first time, with the event being the first World Cup held in winter to prevent the harsh weather conditions in Qatar negatively impacting the competition.

This comes following China, who had been scheduled to host the 2023 Asian Cup, changing its plans due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously, the Vietnamese team made it through to the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup, although they eventually lost 1-0 to Japan.

Korean coach Park Hang-seo ended contract with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on January 31, with French coach Philippe Troussier likely to lead the national team at the regional tournament after taking charge of his first match this February.

Frenchman will manage both Vietnam’s U23s and the senior team, with the aim of defending their gold medal in the men’s football at SEA Games 32 which will be held in Cambodia this May, as well as competing in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in November and the 2023 Asian Cup in January, 2024.

Source: VOV