With this decision proposed by the organising committee of the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand, participating teams at the coming SEA Games will not be allowed to use the additional slots of three players aged over 22 that were applied in previous editions of the Games.
The organising committee said that this decision was made to ensure sustainable development, provide more opportunities for young talents to gain experience and develop, and create a fairer playing field for all teams.
The 33rd Games is scheduled to take place in Thailand from December 9 to 20, featuring all four football events of men's and women's football and futsal. At the most recent SEA Games held in Cambodia in 2023, the rule of only allowing U22 players to compete in men's football was also implemented. Vietnam won bronze medal then.
Regarding preparations for this year's Games, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and head coach Kim Sang-sik proactively developed plans early.
The most notable step was to call up many players from the SEA Games-eligible age group to the national team during the FIFA Days training camps in 2024.
Most recently, in September 2024, the U22 team was given the opportunity to participate in a friendly international tournament in China.
To prepare for the ASEAN Cup 2024, young players with the potential to become key members of the squad for the SEA Games were also included in the training camps with the national team.
Besides, the VFF continues to work closely with the Vietnam Professional Football JSC (VPF) to arrange the 2025 season schedule, ensuring the best support for the U22 team while balancing the interests of clubs.
Basically, the U22 team will continue to be given conditions to gather and train during the same periods as the national team's FIFA Days training camps.
As scheduled, during the first training camp of 2025 in March, U22 players of Vietnam will compete at an U22 international football tournament in China, which will feature four teams, according to the VFF.
