Vietnam vs Philippines

My Dinh National Stadium forms the backdrop for a ‘make or break’ 2026 World Cup qualifier between Vietnam and the Philippines.

Vietnam have been to the World Cup, and a 2-0 win against the Philippines in their curtain-raising Group F outing sparked the nation’s enthusiasm, leading them to believe the Golden Star Warriors could make history in this cycle. However, Iraq and Indonesia have given the Vietnamese a harsh reality check, inflicting three consecutive defeats on Kim Sang-sik’s side to condemn them to another early elimination. Not all is lost yet, though they need to overhaul a four-point deficit on second-placed Indonesia in the last two rounds to make it to the third qualifying stage. Vietnam should at least hold up their end of the bargain in this fixture, having beaten the Philippines across their last six meetings. With five seeing them score 2+ goals, Vietnam could win this with panache.

Given the way the Philippines have performed in this qualifying campaign, not even the most optimistic traveling fans will hope for a surprising result in Hanoi. Except for a 1-1 draw against Indonesia on Gameweek 2, the visitors have lost all three remaining matches by a combined score of 8-0, including a 5-0 rout at the hands of Iraq last time out. Leaving the comforts of their home poses a further threat to the Philippines’ hopes of beating Vietnam for the first time since 2012. The Street Dogs have suffered eight defeats on their last ten international travels (W1, D1), including a brace of narrow 1-0 losses to Iraq and Bahrain in the build-up to this trip.