The Vietnam futsal team will officially enter the group stage journey of the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship from January 27 in Indonesia. Before the tournament, coach Diego Giustozzi had frank shares about tactical orientation, personnel as well as long-term goals of the team.
The Argentine coach said that after failing to qualify for the World Cup in the 2024 season, the coaching staff was forced to change their approach.
We have tried a different approach but in the 2024 season we could not win a ticket to the World Cup. So now we are trying a new direction. The current squad plays more attacking, younger and also more "fiery", although not really balanced. We need to help the players become more balanced and complete," coach Diego emphasized.
According to him, the Vietnamese futsal team is entering a clear transitional phase when up to 8 players are participating in a continental tournament for the first time, of which 6-7 faces are only in their 20-21s. This is not a small challenge, but also a necessary step for the long-term goal.
This is the path we chose to aim for the next World Cup. We need to let these players accumulate experience. At the present time, the team may not be really balanced, and maintaining stability for 40 minutes is not easy for such a young team," he shared.
In the past time, young players such as Da Hai, Ngoc Anh, Van Luong, Quang Nguyen... have continuously been given opportunities to compete internationally, from SEA Games to ASEAN Cup, in order to accumulate competitive bravery. Coach Diego affirmed his belief in the current team.
He said: "It's true that we believe in ourselves. We are calmer and better prepared. We can't beat all opponents, but if we don't maintain a good performance for 40 minutes, or even 120 minutes in 3 matches, then we can lose to any team.
The Argentine strategist also emphasized his steadfastness with the path he has chosen: "This is the path we have chosen, and we believe in the players, believe in this team. Maybe at this Asian tournament we are not highly rated, but the whole team is playing well, trying to play true futsal, quality futsal. And I believe in this team.
According to coach Diego, the team's most important goal is to maintain concentration in every minute of play, every match for 120 minutes in the group stage, before looking back and evaluating the results after the final match.
In the opening match against Kuwait, the Vietnamese futsal team had a psychological advantage when they won two friendly victories (3-2, 3-1) against this opponent in the preparation for the qualifiers. Assessing Vietnamese futsal, Kuwaiti national team coach Bruno Garcia praised it: "Vietnamese futsal has had a foundation for a long time, and has now risen to become one of the leading teams in Asia. They are a reference model for many teams. Vietnam is a typical example for many countries in Asia".
At the 2026 Asian Futsal Championship, the Vietnamese futsal team is in Group B, facing Kuwait (January 27), Lebanon (January 29) and Thailand (January 31) respectively.
