The AFC U23 Asian Cup Finals will kick off from Jan. 6 to 24 in Saudi Arabia.
This is the seventh edition of the tournament, bringing together 16 of Asia’s top teams competing at four stadiums in the cities of Jeddah and Riyadh.
Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2003, are eligible to participate.
This is the last AFC U23 Asian Championship that is not linked to the Olympic qualifiers, as from 2028 onwards the tournament will be held every four years.
Vietnam qualified for the finals as winners of Group C in the qualifiers, marking their sixth consecutive appearance in this competition.
Coach Kim Sang-sik's team is in Group A, facing Jordan on Jan. 6, Kyrgyzstan on Jan. 9, and Saudi Arabia on Jan. 12.
The 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup finals will take place from Jan. 27 to Feb. 7 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
This is the 18th edition of the tournament, featuring 16 of the strongest teams in Asia, divided into four groups.
Indonesia is hosting the tournament for the second time, after the first edition in 2002.
Iran are the defending champions, having won its record 13th title in 2024.
Vietnam qualified for the finals after finishing first in Group E in the qualifying round.
In the finals, the Vietnam national futsal team, coached by Diego Giustozzi, will face Kuwait on Jan. 27, Lebanon on Jan. 29, and Thailand on Jan. 31.
At the same time, the 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from Feb. 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
This will be the first Winter Olympics co-hosted by multiple cities, with the opening ceremony at San Siro and the closing ceremony in Verona.
Vietnam has received an invitation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is likely to send athletes to this event for the first time.
The 2026 Women's Asian Cup Finals will take place in Australia from March 1 to 21, marking the 21st edition of the tournament.
The competition will feature 12 teams playing at five venues across three cities.
This is the final qualifying round for the 2027 Women's World Cup in the Asian region, with six direct qualification spots and inter-regional play-offs, and the penultimate stage of Asian qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
China are the defending champions, while the Vietnamese women's team qualified after finishing first in their qualifying group.
Vietnam's best performance was to reach the quarter-finals in 2022, securing their place in the 2023 Women's World Cup.
The upcoming men's Finalissima between Spain and Argentina will take place on March 27.
It will be hosted at Lusail Stadium, where Argentina lifted the 2022 World Cup trophy.
This would be the first time Spanish professional footballer Lamine Yamal and Argentina star Lionel Messi compete against each other on the pitch.
Spain booked their place by claiming the European crown in Germany in 2024, defeating England 2-1 in the Berlin final to land the title for a fourth time.
Argentina successfully defended their Copa América title in the United States in 2024, clinching the trophy for a record 16th time by beating Colombia 1-0 after extra time in the final in Florida.
Immediately following the World Cup, the ASEAN Cup 2026, held from July 24 to Aug. 26, will be the 16th edition of the Southeast Asian men's football championship, marking its 30 years since establishment.
This is the first time the tournament has been held in the summer, instead of the traditional end-of-year period.
The tournament will feature 10 teams, competing in the familiar format from 2018 with a single-round group stage playing home and away matches, followed by a two-leg semi-final and final.
Vietnam are the defending champions after winning the 2024 final against Thailand.
The 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship will take place from Aug. 21 to 30 in Tianjin, China.
In the most recent edition in Thailand in 2023, Vietnam reached the semi-finals for the first time, but lost to Japan, finishing fourth overall.
Vietnamese women's volleyball is making remarkable progress, with its first-ever victory against Thailand in the SEA V.League 2025.
This will be an opportunity for Vietnam to win its first Asian medal.
Another notable event is the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20), taking place from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 in Aichi Prefecture (Japan), with Nagoya as the main venue.
This is the third Asian Games to be held in Japan, following Tokyo 1958 and Hiroshima 1994.
ASIAD 20 will feature 46 participating delegations, competing in 42 sports with 460 sets of medals.
Vietnam has won 19 gold medals at the Asian Games, a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia.
In the previous edition held in China's Hangzhou, Vietnam won three gold medals, including one by shooter Pham Quang Huy (pictured).
Vietnam's 10th National Sports Games in 2026 will be held in November in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Thap, and Dong Nai, with 36 delegations from 34 provinces and cities competing in 47 sports.
This quadrennial event brings together elite athletes from across the country and also serves as a key preparatory platform for the 34th SEA Games in Malaysia in 2027.
