The Vietnamese Football Association appointed, on Monday, Frenchman Philippe Troussier as coach of the first team until 2026, in its pursuit of a historic qualification to the World Cup finals.
“Expanding the World Cup to 48 countries in 2026 is an opportunity for Vietnam, this is our ultimate goal,” the 64-year-old new coach said in a statement published by an official media outlet.
He added, “I cannot achieve it alone, I will only be a guide. If we unite and do our best, Vietnamese football can do it.”
And Troussier replaced former South Korean coach Park Hong-seo, who had supervised the national team since 2017.
Troussier has great experience on the international scene, having previously coached several African teams in the past three decades, namely Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and South Africa, and supervised the teams of Qatar and Japan.
He won the Asian Cup in 2000 with the “Samurai Blue” team, before going to the 2022 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Troussier also has experience at the club level, specifically in France, where he coached Marseille (2004-2005), before moving to the Japan, China and Tunisia leagues, until he assumed technical duties for the Vietnam under-19 team between 2019 and 2021.
The Vietnam national team, which ranks 96th in the FIFA rankings, is preparing for the Asian Cup in Qatar next summer.
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