Vietnam might lose home advantage in final World Cup qualifying round

According to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), if any team wish to play their matches on home ground, they have to guarantee the away team won’t have to enter quarantine on arrival. The AFC said a long period of quarantine could affect player form as well as the performance of away teams.

It only allows each team to stay in one hotel while members can only travel from the hotel to the training ground or stadium to guarantee pandemic safety.

The Vietnam Football Federation will have to find a centralized venue for the national team if home games can't be hosted in Vietnam due to strict pandemic prevention measures.

When the national team returned from the UAE after playing the second World Cup qualifying round in June, they still had to enter quarantine for seven days, despite having been vaccinated twice and testing negative for Covid-19.

Playing at home with the support of home fans is an advantage for any team and with Vietnam, it’s even more important. However, VFF doesn’t have the authority to decide the quarantine time for away teams. The decision is up to the government, the Steering Committee of Covid-19 Prevention and Control, and Ministy of Health.

VFF will also have to obtain approval for special quarantine regarding the national team. According to the current schedule, Vietnam will go to Saudi Arabia to play the host on Sept. 2. If the team have to enter quarantine for seven days after returning, they won’t be able to play Australia at home on Sept. 7.