U23 Yemen ready to fight U23 Vietnam in Asian qualifiers

Before coming to Vietnam, coach Amin Al Suneini and his team had undergone a thorough preparation period. The team was stationed in Marib City (Yemen), then went to Fujairah (UAE) to train and play friendly matches with a number of clubs in the country as well as in the UAE. The results of these friendly matches were kept confidential to ensure professional confidentiality.

U23 Yemen sẵn sàng quyết đấu U23 Việt Nam ở vòng loại châu Á - 1 — U23 Yemen is the most formidable opponent of U23 Vietnam in the 2026 U23 Asian qualifiers (Photo: VFF).

In the list of players registered for the qualifying round, U23 Yemen only has one player playing abroad, goalkeeper Muhammad Ramadan Shuey Jumaan (Saudi Arabia). The remaining 22 players are all playing for domestic clubs.

Three notable faces in the attack of U23 Yemen are Abdulaziz Masnoum, Qassem Al-Sharafi and Hamza Mahrous - players who have just joined the Yemen team's squad for the FIFA Days series in June against Bhutan and Lebanon in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

In particular, 19-year-old striker Hamza Mahrous has impressed as he has become the third choice in attack for the national team.

Immediately after settling in, U23 Yemen will enter the first training session at Phu Tho training ground to prepare for the matches in Group C.

U23 Yemen sẵn sàng quyết đấu U23 Việt Nam ở vòng loại châu Á - 2 — Midfielder Nguyen Xuan Bac of U23 Vietnam (Photo: VFF).

For their part, U23 Vietnam had two training sessions in Phu Tho. Sharing with the press on August 31, midfielder Nguyen Xuan Bac said: "This is the first time I have returned to my hometown to compete, and I also hope that fans will come to the stadium to cheer not only for me but also for the team so that we can achieve the best results.

I have been away since I was young, so people in my hometown mostly cheer me on TV. This time playing in Phu Tho, my family and relatives can come directly to the stadium to cheer me on, that will be a great source of inspiration for me. I am very proud of my hometown Phu Tho."

Xuan Bac's convincing performance at the 2025 Southeast Asian U23 tournament helped him be voted into the tournament's Best XI, becoming the only central midfielder of Vietnam U23 to be included in this list. That is the reason why he is highly expected in this Asian qualifier.