HANOI: On a summer morning, a small café in Hanoi opened earlier than usual. A TV mounted high on the wall played sports news from the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Conversations at nearby tables turned to the tournament - which teams looked strong, whether there would be surprises and if it was worth staying up for the next fixtures.
For many Vietnamese fans, the World Cup is more than just football. It is a habit built over the years - late nights, gatherings with friends and the anticipation of a tournament that comes only once every four years.
The 2026 edition, however, has arrived in a different way.
Held across three countries in North America, the tournament’s schedule has shifted viewing patterns in Vietnam. Matches are played at 2am and 5am, and continue into 8am, 9am and even 11am (Hanoi time). As a result, fans are no longer able to follow every game as before, and instead are becoming more selective.
In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, the World Cup atmosphere remains evident, but has taken on a different rhythm. Sportswear shops and match schedules have seen increased activity, while cafés and public viewing spaces are busier during unusual hours. Fans discuss title contenders, predict outcomes and adjust their routines to fit the new schedule.
Nguyen Minh Hieu from Hanoi still follows the tournament as he has done since childhood, but in a more flexible way.
“I’m always excited for the World Cup, but this year I have to watch it differently," Hieu said.
"I can stay up for the 2am matches, but for the morning games I either watch before work or catch up later. It’s still enjoyable, but I can’t ‘all-in’ like before because of family and work.”
In HCM City, Le Hoang Phuc described a similar adjustment.
“The World Cup is usually a time for friends to gather, but now we meet in the morning instead, have coffee and talk about the matches. It doesn’t affect daily life as much as before, so the atmosphere is still there, just at a different time,” he said.
For many, following the World Cup has also become a matter of balancing daily responsibilities.
The match times are not always convenient for Vietnamese audiences.
“We can manage the 2am matches, but the morning and near-noon games are difficult because we have to go to work,” Tran Tuan Hung said.
Nguyen Hoang Nam added that choosing which matches to watch would now be necessary.
“We can’t stay up for every match. We focus on the key games or watch replays later. I will support Argentina this year, but we also have to take care of our health,” he said.
The change in schedule has also influenced how fans consume football. Rather than following the entire tournament, many prioritise key fixtures. Highlights and replays on digital platforms have become more common, especially among younger audiences.
The tournament is also closely followed by players and coaches. For professionals, it remains an opportunity to observe tactics and team organisation at the highest level, although viewing time must be managed carefully.
Defender Dinh Viet Túu of The Cong Viettel said watching the World Cup would be part of professional learning.
“It’s a chance to see top-level football and learn about tactics and movement. But we still have to balance our time and cannot stay up too late because of training,” he said.
In futsal, the challenge is more pronounced as the national championship is taking place at the same time. Assistant coach Khong Dình Hung of HCM City Youth Futsal Club said players had been advised to be selective.
“The team are all excited, but they are in an important phase of the season. We encourage them to watch only key matches and avoid staying up all night. If it affects training, there will be consequences,” he said.
Beyond the immediate experience of fans, the World Cup also raises longer-term considerations for Vietnamese football. The ambition to qualify for the tournament has been set out in development plans, alongside investment in training and infrastructure.
Large-scale projects such as the proposed Bronze Drum Stadium in Hanoi, with a planned capacity of 135,000 seats and expectation of becoming one of the world's largest stadiums when completed. This project opens up opportunities for Vietnam to become a new destination for world-class sporting events.
Today, the World Cup is not only a sporting event but part of a broader global system involving sport, technology and commerce. For Vietnam, the value lies not in copying, but in adapting relevant elements to local conditions.
For fans, however, the appeal remains unchanged. The 2026 World Cup may no longer bring extended sleepless nights, but it continues to shape daily routines in different ways – through early-morning updates, conversations after matches and a shared sense of connection.
In a changing rhythm of life, the World Cup still marks a distinct period - one that reflects both enduring passion and the adjustments of modern living. — Vietnam News/ANN
