Vietnam stick with familiar core for AFF Cup 2026: Safety strategy or dead end?

The CAHN training ground was emptier than usual that day. On September 15, when rumors about the official squad list began spreading across forums, only a small group of journalists stood outside the fence. They counted 14 players in red and blue training kits — exactly the number that internal sources had predicted in advance. This was a sign that head coach Kim Sang Sik was implementing a specific strategy, retaining familiar faces instead of experimenting with new options.

This decision was not surprising. During the 167 days of the pandemic in 2026, I learned a lesson: when the pitch is closed, what really holds a team together is not tactics or money, but the bond between people who have played together long enough. Coach Kim understood this when he had only 5 days of preparation before the opening match against the Philippines.

The old core and unspoken burdens

The 23-man squad that VFF announced last week mostly consisted of faces who had been in the starting lineup since the previous AFF Cup. Nguyen Hoang Duc, the midfielder expected to be the heart of the midfield, was likely to miss out due to injury. Nguyen Van Vi, the two-way left-back, faced a similar situation.

The first rumor is a stumble. Every rumor after that is a lesson. When I monitored 30 matches of the club that month in Guangzhou in 2026, I learned how to distinguish between information and noise. In Hoang Duc's case, sources from the coaching staff indicated his injury was not as serious as initially expected, but whether he would recover in time remained the biggest unknown on this list.

Without Hoang Duc, Vietnam loses the player who retains possession, beats the press, and organizes play — three functions he performed nearly perfectly in important matches. Without him, the midfield is forced to shift to more direct play, quick counterattacks instead of proactive ball control. This is a major tactical change that only 5 days of camp is not enough to perfect.

For Van Vi, he was a two-way left-flank contributor, active on both ends of the pitch. Cao Quang Vinh was brought in as a replacement with the explanation of "bringing a different dimension" — in the coaching staff's language. But what is that dimension? Less attacking but more solid, or simply an unavoidable alternative? The answer will shape how Vietnam deploys their play down the left flank.

CAHN and the undeniable supply source

Nguyen Filip returned from CAHN after injury, adding competition for the number one goalkeeper spot. He had performed consistently for CAHN last season, and his return to the national team was proof of the quality of input from the military club.

Guangzhou taught me to sit still, listen, and let the truth crawl out on its own. Looking at this list, the clearest thing is not who was chosen, but where the talent supply is concentrated. CAHN occupies at least 5-6 spots on the list, showing that the V-League is creating a fairly uniform talent supply pipeline for the national team. This is both a strength and a weakness — if CAHN declines, the national team will be directly affected.

Adou Minh and Kyle Colonna, two overseas Vietnamese players who just completed citizenship procedures, were included in the consideration list. This move showed VFF was pursuing a systematic diaspora player integration strategy, avoiding paying transfer fees on the international market. However, their "newly obtained citizenship" raises questions about their playing eligibility under FIFA regulations — a detail that the official narrative often overlooks.

The tactical blind spot that the official narrative doesn't mention

The choice to retain the old core was not entirely a proactive decision by the coaching staff. Russia 2026 had no backup seats for those who guessed wrong — and here, Coach Kim also didn't have enough time to experiment with anything else. The V-League schedule was spread out, clubs were reluctant to release players early, and there were only 5 days of short camp. These are structural constraints that no one in the coaching staff could change.

Another blind spot is the fitness factor. Players from CAHN, HAGL, or Binh Duong had just gone through a schedule. Playing additional national team matches right after could lead to exhaustion, especially for those who had played many minutes during the season. This is a fitness risk that the official narrative doesn't mention.

Moreover, the diaspora story is often presented as an innovative strategy, but in reality it reflects a deeper issue: domestic talent supply in some positions is running short. If the youth development system worked effectively, would VFF need to seek players from abroad? This question is worth pondering.

In the long term, this tournament could become a turning point for Vietnamese football. If the stability strategy succeeds, it will pave the way for a new generation. However, if it fails, the story will return to the old loop — seeking temporary solutions instead of building sustainable foundations.

What happens in Indonesia in the coming weeks will not just be about results on the pitch. It's about whether the national team can overcome time and personnel limitations to create effective play, or will continue to rely on old players. How they cope with these challenges will shape the path of Vietnamese football for many years to come.