Coaches and players of the Vietnamese team practice at Rizal Memorial Stadium, Philippines. (Source: VFF)

Quang Hai shared on social media before the match between Vietnam and the Philippines in the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup taking place on November 16: "Today the team arrived in the Philippines to play the opening match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round.

It feels really 'uncomfortable' not to be able to fight alongside my teammates. I just hope everyone stays strong and brings home victory. As for Hai, he is still trying to recover from his injury as quickly as possible, waiting for the day to return."

On November 13, the Vietnamese team arrived in the capital Manila of the Philippines to prepare for the opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

Coach Trousser has finalized a preliminary list of 28 players for the away match against the Philippines and will eliminate 5 people at the last minute due to FIFA regulations only allowing a maximum of 23 players to be registered.

Quang Hai's name is not included in the preliminary list because the midfielder currently playing for Hanoi Police Club is injured and is still in the recovery period.

"Hai wants to share one thing, we cannot lose the inherent fire at home. That is a great motivation to help the team overcome all challenges.

Together we will be stronger! See you all in the match against Iraq on November 21!", midfielder Quang Hai sent a message to his teammates in the Vietnamese team before the upcoming match against the Philippines as well as hoping to recover from his injury in time to play in the match against Iraq.

Quang Hai suffered an injury during a friendly match with Uzbekistan in October and has not returned to the pitch since. Even without Quang Hai, coach Philippe Troussier still has many other stars in the midfield such as Hung Dung, Tuan Anh, Hoang Duc, Khuat Van Khang...

The Philippines team is considered the weakest opponent in the group, so the goal of the Vietnamese team is to win all 3 points in the opening match to have good spirit before meeting Iraq just 5 days later.

Coach Philippe Troussier shared before the two World Cup qualifying matches of the Vietnam team this November: "The whole team is fully aware of the importance of the upcoming match. In the past time, we have focused on training and are ready to face the challenge.

The whole team is determined to make continuous efforts for the progress of Vietnamese football with the highest goal being the World Cup. We hope to continue to receive support from everyone."