On August 26, the second leg of the AFF Championship final took place in Vietnam. Vietnam drew 2-2 with Thailand at home, but with a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, they defeated their opponents with an aggregate score of 4-2 over two legs, successfully retaining their AFF Championship title.

The final drew significant attention from the international football community, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino attending the match in person and presenting the championship trophy to Vietnam afterward. During his visit, Infantino also met with Vietnamese President To Lam, VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan, and Vietnamese government officials to discuss plans for Vietnam's future football development.

Infantino traveled to Vietnam by private jet, accompanied by FIFA General Secretary Mattias Grafström. Notably, this marked Infantino's return to Southeast Asia as FIFA President after an eight-year gap since his previous visit to Vietnam in 2018.

In 2018, Infantino visited the VFF and congratulated Vietnam's U23 national team on their runner-up finish at that year's AFC U23 Championship, and also met with relevant Vietnamese government officials.

Following his trip to Vietnam, Infantino posted on social media, praising Vietnam's football development in recent years. He described his visit as highly enjoyable and characterized Vietnam as a country with remarkable football passion and abundant football talent.

Infantino wrote: "During this visit, I have held productive discussions with Vietnamese President To Lam, VFF officials led by President Tran Quoc Tuan, and government representatives. I am delighted that we share the same strategic vision in promoting Vietnam's football development and creating more opportunities for those who dream of football here."

Infantino was also impressed by the recently concluded AFF Championship final. He believes the final fully demonstrated Vietnam's tremendous potential in football. With continued progress in football enthusiasm, development ambitions, related projects, resources, and sustained cooperation between FIFA and Vietnam, the future development prospects for Vietnamese football are promising.

Infantino specifically noted that Vietnam and the entire Southeast Asian region have the conditions to make their mark in world football, and stated that FIFA will continue to fully support football development initiatives in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

In recent years, FIFA has also steadily increased its attention and investment in Southeast Asian football. The inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup is scheduled to take place from September to October this year, with matches held in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. As FIFA increasingly promotes regional football competitions and youth development, Southeast Asian football is gaining greater prominence on the international stage.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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