Giggs, Scholes and instant noodles: Vietnam takes pot-shot at World CupA well-equipped, well-staffed football academy as at the centre of Vietnam's strategyHUNG YEN (VIETNAM) - After a career that began in instant noodles, Vietnam's richest man knows all about long shots, and now he's taking another: trying to get the football-mad country's national team to their first World Cup. Vingroup's gleaming, $15 million academy outside Hanoi has already helped Vietnam become a growing power in Asian football, after they reached the Asian Cup quarter-finals last year. The communist country's national team were crowned Southeast Asian champions in 2018, and their Under-22s won gold at the Southeast Asian Games last December. But despite the big money and big names, the next World Cup may still be a stretch for Vietnam. The 2026 World Cup -- when the number of teams will jump from 32 to 48 -- may be a more realistic target.

Source: Bangkok Post February 12, 2020 07:41 UTC