Journey to the Asian tournament
The Vietnamese women's team participated in the Asian Cup finals for the 10th consecutive time. In the qualifiers, Huynh Nhu and her teammates showed convincing form when they won convincingly against 3 opponents Maldives, UAE and Guam (scoring 17 goals, not conceding any goals).
The numbers affirm the 37th position in the world, top 6 in Asia and leading Southeast Asia for the Vietnamese women's team. Of course, coach Mai Duc Chung and his team set a goal to win a ticket to the World Cup through the Asian tournament, just like the scenario done 4 years ago in India.
According to regulations, to participate in the world tournament, the Vietnamese women's team needs to pass the Asian Cup group stage. In the quarter-finals, if they win directly, Vietnam will definitely participate in the 2027 World Cup.
In case of failure, Huynh Nhu and her teammates still have a chance in the relegation group. Accordingly, the Vietnamese women's team needs to win 2 consecutive matches against losing teams in the quarterfinals. This was once the path that brought the Vietnamese girls to the World Cup for the first time in history in New Zealand 3 years ago.
According to calculations by coach Mai Duc Chung, that could also be a suitable option for the position and stature of the national women's team at the present time.
Returning to the group stage, the Vietnamese women's team will meet India, Taiwan (China) and Japan in turn. In theory, the increasing level of difficulty helps Vietnam easily get used to the competition conditions in Perth (Australia), as well as bring in 4-6 points after the first 2 rounds.
If they get the expected results, the possibility that Mr. Mai Duc Chung's team finishes in 2nd or 3rd place in the group is entirely possible.
To prepare for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup finals, the Vietnamese women's team has had continuous gatherings in the first 3 months of the year. Players have also gone to China to train and play friendly matches. The determination from Hai Linh, Tran Thi Duyen, Thanh Nha... is shown through shortening the Tet holiday to soon regroup from the 2nd day of Tet.
This is the first time I have had such a short Tet holiday. My parents and family encouraged me to try my best, play my best to get a ticket to the World Cup with the national team. 4 years ago, I was lucky to do that with my sisters. Unfortunately, at the 2023 World Cup, I could not participate due to injury. So, my dream is to participate in the world tournament at all costs in my career," defender Tran Thi Duyen shared.
Unpredictable opponent
The 2026 Asian Women's Cup started on March 1. Host Australia created an overwhelming game in the 1-0 victory over the Philippines. It should be emphasized that the Philippines is the team that defeated Vietnam to win the SEA Games 33 gold medal. Saying that to show that the level of the top 5 Asian teams still has a large gap compared to the rest, including Vietnam.
In Group C, it is very unlikely that Vietnam will get 1 point or more against Japan. The number 1 candidate for the 2026 Asian Cup women's championship is ranked 8th in the world and has never left the top 4 continents in the past 40 years.
The two opponents that Vietnam wants to win 4-6 points are Taiwan (China) and India. In fact, they have made progress in the past and are preparing carefully for the Asian tournament.
With India, while the Vietnamese women's team is still training domestically after the Tet holiday, this team has flown to Australia to get acquainted with weather conditions and the competition environment.
India entered the tournament with great determination after having to withdraw from the Asian Cup at home 4 years ago due to COVID-19. However, the challenge for this team is that new coach Amelia Valverde has not had much time to get used to it when she only took over from January.
Meanwhile, Taiwan (China) is also not an easy opponent. This is the team that Vietnam once defeated to get a ticket to the 2023 World Cup. In this reunion, they will be a direct competitor for second place in the group with coach Mai Duc Chung's team.
