Last month, the round of 36 of the 2026 World Cup in Asia officially started, and the Chinese men's football team also hit the road again, attacking towards the goal of returning to the World Cup. Like the Chinese men's football team, due to the expansion of the 2026 World Cup, the number of Asian participation places will reach an unprecedented 8.5, so many Asian teams are ready to move, and in order to enter the World Cup, they have also thought of all the ways that can be used.
According to the well-known media person Han Bing's revelations, the Vietnamese team from Southeast Asia has taken the lead in taking action, and they will form a "naturalized army" to strive to help Vietnamese football go further, and strive to let Vietnam's men's football team step into the World Cup like women's football. According to previous reports by Vietnamese media, the former Czech goalkeeper Filip Soft has officially accepted the naturalization invitation of the Vietnam Football Association, and he will be selected for the Vietnamese national team in the Asian Cup in January to guard the goal for this Southeast Asian team!
In addition, fullback Pang Dang, who plays in the French second division, has publicly stated in an interview that he is very eager to play for the Vietnamese team, and his naturalization work is already being handled. It is reported that Pang Dang's mother is Vietnamese and his father is French, he returned to Vietnam when he was 6 years old and lived there for a long time, so he still has a deep affection for Vietnam. Given the abundance of talent in French football, he may not be able to be selected for the French national team for the rest of his career, so if he wants to stand on the international stage, joining the Vietnamese team has become his only option.
In addition, in the Vietnamese league, there are as many as 10 naturalized players, these players come from the United States, Nigeria, Australia, Germany, Russia, Canada and other countries, of which 8 players are blood naturalized with Vietnamese relatives, and the other few are qualified non-blood naturalized players like the national football team's Ackerson and Luo Guofu. And the naturalization resources that Vietnamese football has in their hands are not just superficial, such as Ibrahim, a young striker who has been selected for Germany's U18, and Brandon, a young player who plays for the Premier League team Burnley, are all of mixed Vietnamese descent, and they all have the possibility of naturalization and Vietnamese nationality in the future.
At this year's Asian Cup, we can expect to see a new Vietnamese team. Half of the team's starting qualifications will be occupied by naturalized players, and their strength will also be greatly improved. For the Chinese men's football team, this is certainly not good news, although we will not meet Vietnam in the round of 36 of the World Preliminary Championships, but in the next round of 18, we have a high probability of fighting this Southeast Asian powerhouse again. If the opponent's strength goes to a higher level, then the Chinese men's football team may only hope for a miracle if it wants to return to the World Cup.
But the football world is a place where miracles are constantly born, and I hope that the new national football team led by Jankovic can bring surprises to everyone.