Palestine U-20 Team Faces Vietnam in Crucial Asian Cup Qualifier

The Palestinian national under-20 football team will play a decisive match against Vietnam on Thursday, September 3, 2026, as part of the second round of Group 3 in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers for the 2027 finals in China. The game is critical for both teams after they lost their opening matches, making this encounter a "course correction battle" to keep their qualification hopes alive.

The match will take place at the Viet Tri Stadium in Vietnam, kicking off at 3:00 PM Jerusalem time. The Palestinian coaching staff aims to leverage the physical readiness of their 23-player squad, including notable players like Diego Samara, Hamza Subhiyeh, Bakr Dabourah, and Adi Al-Nashashibi, to secure a strong performance and all three points.

Both teams enter the game with zero points following difficult opening fixtures. Palestine narrowly lost their first match 2-1 to Iran after a resilient defensive effort. Vietnam suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at home against North Korea. Currently, North Korea and Iran lead Group 3 with three points each, placing significant pressure on Palestine and Vietnam to win.

The Palestinian youth team prepared for these qualifiers with a training camp in Doha, Qatar, where they played friendly matches against Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Following the match against Vietnam, Palestine will conclude their group stage campaign against North Korea on Sunday, September 6.