Head coach Park Hang-Seo receives COVID-19 vaccination on April 5 (Photo: VNA)

In addition to national teams set to compete at international tournaments to secure berths at the Tokyo Olympics, the men’s football squad was also inoculated in preparation for upcoming matches in Group G of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, according to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF).

The games will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Vietnam will play Indonesia on June 7, Malaysia four days later, and then wrap up the qualifiers with a game against the hosts UAE on June 15. The vaccination drive for the footballers will be held in five phases, with the last being on April 17. The men’s football squad is set to gather in mid-May, with 34 players.

Vietnam currently tops Group G with 11 points, followed by Malaysia with nine and Thailand with eight. The UAE has six points, while Indonesia is yet to pick up any. The Vietnam Sports Administration recently announced that more than 300 athletes will receive COVID-19 vaccine shots this month.