Vietnamese World Cup qualifier against China to be held in the UAE

The match is scheduled to take place on October 7 and will be the third tie in the group stage for both Vietnam and China in the final round of World Cup qualifiers.

The game will take place in a neutral venue in the UAE, as opposed to Qatar as originally planned.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has been unable to organise home matches.

During their first two matches of Group B, the Chinese side has chosen to play home games in the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar. The team led by head coach Li Tie lost 3-0 to Australia in the opener, with China now set to face Japan on September 7. 

The Vietnamese team’s next tie will be against Australia at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi at 7 p.m. on September 7. They will then have seven days off before gathering on September 16 to prepare for the upcoming matches against China and Oman on October 7 and October 12, respectively.

The Sharjah Stadium in the UAE previously hosted a friendly match between Vietnam and Jordan on May 31 ahead of the final round of World Cup qualifiers.