FIFA Representative: 'Vietnamese Football Will Soon Return to the World's Top 100'

At the 2025 Annual General Meeting of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) held on the morning of December 26 at the VFF headquarters, Ms. Gayathry Chandra Mohan - Director of Member Associations Development at FIFA, shared positive remarks and highly praised the strong progress of Vietnamese football in recent times.

Ms. Gayathry Chandra Mohan expressed deep admiration for the advancements the VFF has made in building and developing football in Vietnam. Especially at SEA Games 33, the U22 Vietnam team achieved an outstanding victory over the host nation, securing the SEA Games 33 gold medal, a remarkable accomplishment. The FIFA representative expressed hope that Vietnamese football will continue to achieve more successes in the future.

Regarding the development direction, Ms. Gayathry Chandra Mohan stated that the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has a very well-structured and strong development plan, particularly at the youth team levels. According to her, Vietnamese football has consistently demonstrated excellent leadership at all levels, creating a solid foundation for long-term growth. Currently, the Vietnam men's national team ranks 107th on the FIFA World Ranking, and she believes that with the current momentum, Vietnamese football will soon return to the Top 100 globally.

Ms. Gayathry Chandra Mohan also emphasized the prominent leadership role of the VFF in the Southeast Asia region, stating that this effective leadership has generated a positive and clear impact on the national teams. Regionally, Vietnamese football is currently ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia on the FIFA World Ranking and is not far from reaching the top position. At the Asian level, although there is still a long way to go, the FIFA representative affirmed that with current plans and continuous efforts, Vietnamese football is progressing faster than expected.

Ms. Gayathry Chandra Mohan also highly appreciated the role of VFF President Trần Quốc Tuấn, who also serves as the Chairman of the AFC Competitions Committee. According to her, this clearly demonstrates the important status and role of Mr. Trần Quốc Tuấn in Asian football as well as on the global stage. His leadership has created practical value and made significant contributions to the success of Vietnamese teams recently.

The FIFA representative said FIFA always pays great attention and invests significantly in Vietnamese football, especially through the FIFA Forward Fund – a project introduced and implemented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino since 2016. Through this program, many practical projects have been and are being carried out in Vietnam.