FIFA's message after U23 Vietnam's victory over UAE

In the post dated January 17, the account wrote: “A dream waiting to be fulfilled...”. Below was a photo showing the U23 Vietnam squad from their historic 2018 journey in Changzhou alongside the team that just reached the semifinals of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship in Saudi Arabia.

By 10:30 AM, this brief but heartfelt message had received 102,000 likes and loves. Additionally, Facebook users had left 1,600 comments on the post and it had been shared 1,300 times.

The photo recalls the strong journey of U23 Vietnam in Changzhou (China), where the team competed in the final of the 2018 AFC U23 Championship against U23 Uzbekistan on January 27, 2018. U23 Vietnam was considered a major sensation in the tournament after losing to South Korea in the opening match but then overcoming several strong teams including Australia, Syria, Iraq, and Qatar, with two consecutive knockout matches decided by penalty shootouts in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Although they lost to Uzbekistan in the final, U23 Vietnam’s fighting spirit in the “White Snow of Changzhou” left a deep impression.

Speaking about the victory over U23 UAE on January 17, coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized that this clearly demonstrates the increasingly recognized status of Vietnamese football: “Today’s match once again proved that the U23 Vietnam team can fully compete at the Asian level. I am very pleased with the players’ performance and truly proud of this team.”