Vietnam defeat the Philippines 2-0 in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers (Photo: VNA)

This is the team's first official tournament under coach Philippe Troussier. Van Toan opened the scoring in the 16th minute and Dinh Bac extended Vietnam’s lead in the last minute of the game.

The 2-0 win over host Philippines gave Vietnam their first three points in Group F and hope of progressing to the third qualifying round. Vietnam will also play Iraq and Indonesia in Group F.