Due to injury, Nguyen Cong Phuong was not called up to the Vietnam national team to prepare for the last two matches of Group F in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
Coach Kim Sang-sik completed the preliminary team list and sent it to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on May 25. VFF will announce this list in video form on platforms on May 27.
According to research by Knowledge – Znewsthe preliminary list of Vietnam’s team this time has a number of 27-30 players, including mostly familiar faces who have been called up many times and participated in major tournaments.
In the goalkeeper position, Dang Van Lam returns after injury and will compete fairly with Nguyen Filip and Nguyen Dinh Trieu. Goalkeeper Bui Tien Dung was not called up despite being in good form for HAGL. As of round 20, Dung has started 9 matches, kept 3 clean sheets and helped the Mountain City team escape the bottom group.
In the defense, Tran Dinh Trong was not called up even though he was reviving in the Binh Dinh shirt and played well to help the team rank in the top 3 of the V.League rankings. In addition, Vo Minh Trong was not called up because he was injured. The defensive framework will still have key players such as Bui Hoang Viet Anh or Nguyen Thanh Binh.
In midfield, To Van Vu surprised everyone when he was named by coach Kim Sang-sik. Vu this season plays multiple positions for top team Nam Dinh, both playing on the wing and playing well in the center. Nguyen Thai Son will still appear with Do Hung Dung, Nguyen Hoang Duc and Nguyen Quang Hai.
In the Vietnamese striker line, in addition to Nguyen Van Toan, Nguyen Tien Linh and Pham Tuan Hai, there is also Nguyen Van Tung (Hanoi Club). Nguyen Dinh Bac and Nguyen Cong Phuong were injured so were not called up. Bac hurt his ankle and has been out since the beginning of the 2024 U23 Asian Finals until now, while Phuong just suffered a thigh injury on May 22 at the J.League Cup.
Bui Tien Dung missed his appointment with the Vietnam team again after 6 years. Photo: HAGL.
After taking over as head coach of the Vietnam national team in early May, coach Kim Sang-sik urgently attended matches in the V.League to monitor the performance of old players and look for new faces. He really likes Bui Hoang Viet Anh and wants to develop this player in the style of a central defender like Kim Min-jae. Coach Kim also likes versatile players like To Van Vu and Vu Van Thanh. He was a bit regretful that he had not been able to see Hong Duy, the Nam Dinh star, play.
The Vietnamese team is expected to gather from June 1, after the V.League round 22 series ends. The team will gather in Hanoi about 5 days before the match welcoming the Philippines at My Dinh Stadium on June 6. The time fund for coach Kim Sang-sik and his colleagues is very little.
Before Vietnam, many teams participating in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup have announced their full roster.
The Vietnamese team’s goal is to win both remaining matches of Group F despite almost running out of chances to advance.